


My Sun

by NyxAqua



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established SuperCorp, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Violence, Sexual Content, minor original character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-18 02:20:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 82,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9361508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyxAqua/pseuds/NyxAqua
Summary: Kara and Lena, newly engaged, are happily living their lives together. They are prospering in their careers, they have loving and supportive friends and family around them, and their love for one another knows no limits. This good life they have created with one another is turned upside down when their respective pasts come back to haunt them, tearing them apart. Kara must confront a past she had long forgotten about in an attempt to save herself, Lena, and the world. Lena, on the other hand, must decide what the word family really means as she finds herself stuck in a tug-of-war between her blood family and the chosen family she has created with Kara. As they each struggle with these burdens and to find their way back to one another, Alex teams up with their friends and family to try and bring them safely home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are not as they appear.

Kara was dazed. The chair beneath her was too hard, its edge dug into the back of her thighs. It felt like the table under her arms had claws that were ripping at her skin. The air in the room seemed to have dissipated and she could feel a deep pain as her lungs grasped for any trace of the much-needed concoction. Kara Danvers was frozen in place with shock.

“Ms. Danvers? Do you understand what I’m saying?” An uneasy detective by the name of Massey was sitting across the table from her. He looked very concerned at her state of being. “Your fiancée has been killed in a head-on collision,” he repeated.

Kara’s eyes narrowed, laser focused on the detective. “That’s not possible,” she whispered, hands shaking as she adjusted her glasses and attempted to tuck some blonde strands behind her ear. But Detective Massey’s words started to register in her brain, thawing out the shock. Tears appeared at the brims of her eyes and threatened to topple down her cheeks.

Massey opened the file lying on the table between them and cleared his throat, “I’m afraid that it is true, Ms. Danvers. The accident occurred just after 15:00 at the intersection of 12th and Elwood. Ms. Luthor was rushed to National City Memorial Hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.” He stopped here and looked back at her. But the disbelief on her face must have urged him to keep going. “The car was identified as belonging to Ms. Luthor,” he continued, “and the identification records in the car confirmed her identity.”

Kara’s mouth grew tight and thin before her response exploded. “It’s 6:30 now!” She covered her mouth before the rest spewed out angrily. Trying to find some composure, she continued. “Why did it take so long to notify me? Why wasn’t I informed when she got to the hospital? I just don’t–,” Kara choked out, composure gone, tears finally falling free from their pools. The sob that came forth was foreign, raw. “She had her driver pick her up this morning like she does every morning for work! She didn’t take the car! She never takes the car!”

“Perhaps,” Massey had clearly not done this very often, informing victims’ families. He looked like a kindergartener bumbling about, trying to make it in an adult conversation, “she came back for it? Maybe used it for an errand?” Obviously, he did not know Ms. Lena Luthor, CEO of L-Corp, the world’s leading conglomerate, who had more assistants to run her errands for her than there were detectives in National City. Massey attempted to continue, “I know this is hard– ”

“Kara?!” a voice called out from the entryway of the apartment.

Kara leaped from her chair, nearly toppling over the table and the awkward Detective Massey, and met her sister, Alex, and Alex’s girlfriend, Maggie, halfway through the living room. Kara collapsed into her sister’s outstretched arms at the sight of Alex’s knowing face, violent sobs overtaking every ounce of her body. Alex sagged under the weight of Kara and it took her and Maggie both to get the crying blonde safely to the floor without hurting Alex or the hardwood below them.

Detective Massey came toward the three women, file in hand, grateful for the interruption. Taking note of Maggie, one of the senior detectives in the city, he nodded. “Sawyer.”

“Massey.” Maggie gave a sad smile, “I’ll take it from here. You’re free to go.”

Massey tapped the file against his hand, unsure if he really should leave. But one more glance at Kara must have sold him. “You got it, Sawyer.” He handed Maggie the file and stopped short of the inconsolable Kara, curled in Alex’s arms. “Ms. Danvers I am very, very sorry for your loss.” He attempted a small, comforting smile to Alex, before showing himself out of the apartment.

Alex looked up at Maggie with pleading eyes. “Help me get her to the bedroom, please.”

It took all of Alex and Maggie’s strength to get the weeping Kara into the bedroom. Alex immediately climbed into the bed next to her sister and began kissing her hair, murmuring her support in the younger girl’s ear. Soon Alex’s own tears were dripping down to mix with those of her sister’s.

Maggie joined them on the other side of Kara, cocooning the poor girl from the world. She gently rubbed Kara’s back with one hand and reached over to run her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair, unsure of how to console two Danvers at once.

“She’s gone,” Kara cried over and over. It took an hour of this mantra before Kara was dragged into haunted dreams of Massey’s words and Lena’s face.

************************************************************************************

The next several days bled together for Kara as she disassociated from time. She sometimes woke to darkness and the near silence of the apartment, Alex’s soft breathing, and steady heartbeat the only indications that the world was still around her. Other times she woke to sunlight, too bright and, for the first time in her life, too cruel to her eyes. After waking, she would often lay wherever she was, whether it was the bed, the couch, and even once the floor of Lena’s closet, listening to the sounds of Alex’s presence, or whoever was staying with her. Kara barely noted who was with her most of the time. Sometimes it was one of her best friends, Winn or James, and occasionally it was Maggie. Once she could have sworn she heard J’onn moving about the apartment, though how he found the time off from the DEO she did not know.

Alex was a Godsend, though Kara was not in the mindset to comprehend. Alex made all of the funeral arrangements, worked with the lawyers at L-Corp on Lena’s estate, and assisted the police as they wrapped up their investigation. It was Alex that picked the stunning white granite tombstone, one very fitting of Lena’s tastes in life. Alex had also made sure that Lena’s elegance was represented by the plumeria flower arrangements that were to be in the church and at the gravesite. She worked with Jess, Lena’s secretary, and the L-Corp board to keep the company functioning until a successor could be appointed. She filled out Kara’s time off requests at CatCo and took care of the grocery shopping. But most importantly she took care of Kara. Forced her to eat, washed her hair, held her as she cried herself into a restless sleep every night. Most days she sat on the couch and simply provided Kara with her presence.

Kara had taken to sitting out on the terrace when she was awake. This place more than anywhere else in their home, except perhaps the bedroom, reminded her of Lena, who preferred the outdoor setting given her extensive time working inside during the day. Kara would fold herself up, arms wrapped around her legs and chin resting on her knees, and just stare out over the city. But she never saw the city she had come to neglect since the accident. She only saw visions of Lena. The way Lena’s eyes would briefly widen in shock before softening when Kara whispered ‘I love you’, the smile, reserved only for her, as Lena bent down to kiss a sleepy Kara every morning. Kara sat through sunshine and rain, sometimes through the whole night, never noticing the city’s lights come and go or the sounds of life still going on in the world. Kara could only see Lena, could only hear her. Sometimes Kara found herself glancing to the seat next to her because she could feel Lena there. But instead of finding the brunette curled up in her favorite beige sweater with science journal articles spread across her lap, the seat was always empty. Kara rarely registered the two or three times a day Alex would drag her back inside and beg her to eat, to say something. When she found herself at the dining room table or on a stool at the kitchen bar, Kara took to eating two or three bites with a sip or two of water to appease her sister before returning to the terrace to continue her thoughts of Lena.

************************************************************************************

_James was right; things had changed. Kara had known, although the revelation was slow, that the real attraction to James was that he knew her superhero identity and that he was already such a huge part of her life. Add that to the fact that he was a great guy and very attractive, the ease at which he could fold right in was enticing. But when Kara started to feel like she might be settling rather than actually falling in love, it made her nervous and uneasy. She had not settled for just being Kara Danvers – she had finally embraced her superhero identity and finally felt like she had more meaning to her life. A much more complicated life as both Kara Danvers and Supergirl, but still more fulfilling. So why settle for what could be the most important thing in her life? And why make such an important decision right when she needed to make yet another critical life choice for her career? No, Kara knew that it was not the time for a relationship, especially a forced one at that._

_Granted, what happened in the following months was not any less complicated. Falling in love with Lena Luthor was actually the most complicated thing she could have done. First a Luthor and then the most powerful CEO in the world, Kara was very much in the deep end. And yet it had been the easiest thing for Kara to embrace. Easier than choosing to be Supergirl. Lena was a gravitational force all in herself and Kara, in all her clumsy glory, was unable to resist. It was not truly love-at-first-sight. Sure, the second Ms. Luthor had walked through the L-Corp waiting area, Kara had been taken aback at how beautiful the long-haired brunette was. Powerful, elegant, enchanting. Greenish-blue eyes, a color unlike anything Kara had ever seen in the entire universe. A sexy smile that was somehow welcoming yet intimidating, as if there was a secret behind those lips that Lena was just dying to let you in on. But it was the intellect and poise that came out as Lena quipped with Clark over the Venture explosion that sent waves of wanting down Kara’s spine where they crashed somewhere deep within her, deeper than any other feeling she had experienced._

_‘Some steel under that Kansas wheat,’ Lena’s voice as strong and graceful as her appearance. Even Clark had blushed._

_No, Kara had never been under anyone’s spell like this before._

_Kara knew that it was possible for Kryptonians to have soul mates. It was the closest thing to a fairy tale on Krypton. She remembered the stories told to her as a child of how only a few lucky members of their race ever experienced the soul mate bond, how her mother had said that the connection between bonded soul mates was stronger than that of a planet’s pull on its moons. So when Kara and Clark had left Lena’s office that afternoon, Kara was startled by this new feeling in her chest, like a line had been cast and its hook had found her heart. Was she one of the lucky few?_

_Two more failed assassination attempts on Lena kept Kara in the CEO’s orbit. Then, Lena’s open door policy for Kara, the only reporter in the world with that privilege, further increased their interactions. Interviews turned into lunches, lunches became so long that they transitioned into drinks, which often turned into dinners. Text conversations became longer and more personal, off the record of course. Hands that once returned politely to their respective owners after accidental brushes now lingered, caressed. Blankets were shared during movie nights on Kara’s couch where legs and feet intertwined. It was not uncommon for one of their heads to rest on the other’s shoulders while sharing a bottle of wine on Lena’s terrace._

_Kara became painfully aware that the tugging in her heart only abated when she was with Lena and this knowledge scared her more than anything. Not only did this new tugging seem to ebb and flow as Kara moved in and out of Lena’s presence, but her powers also seem to mutate. Alex had always likened Kara’s super hearing ability to facial recognition in humans. ‘Some people are great with faces,’ Alex had once informed Kara. ‘They can remember a face from anywhere and easily put a name with it.’ Kara instead did this with heartbeats and the longer she spent with someone the more that person’s heartbeat ingrained itself in her brain. And Lena’s heartbeat, just as everyone else’s, became etched in Kara. But it became louder, stronger in Kara’s ears the more time they spent together, unlike any other heartbeat in Kara’s life. Eventually, Kara could hear Lena’s heartbeat, miles away, without an ounce of effort. Once, Kara had flown halfway around the world to test the connection and, sure enough, as she floated over the lights of some European city, Lena’s heartbeat continued to steadily thump in Kara’s ears._

_Having no one to tell, Kara silently fell further in love with Lena. She knew that none of her friends or family would approve of her feelings. And this fact tore at her loyalty. She never liked lying to Alex and therefore avoided it at all costs. But keeping her sister at bay on this was nearly too much. Kara had started to tell Alex several times but was always stopped by the memories of the things those around her said about Lena._

_‘Lex’s sister,’ Clark had snarled out when they had learned the identity of the missing passenger from the Venture._

_‘The Luthors are good liars, I mean, they ARE sociopaths, so, yeah, be careful,’ Winn had warned once when Kara had informed him she was going to do yet another interview with the CEO._

_‘She’s as determined and risky as her brother,’ Alex spat in distaste of Lena’s stubbornness after the renaming debacle for L-Corp._

_‘Nothing good has ever, or will ever, come from the Luthor family,’ James stated as he reminisced about his and Clark’s struggles to bring down Lex one night at their favorite bar._

_Every snide comment and eye roll thrown at Kara when she attempted to defend Lena felt worse than Kryptonite. It broke her heart to see and hear the living proof of the struggles Lena often spoke of to Kara._

_‘You’re my only friend in National City.’ Lena’s smile was bright but her eyes reflected the sadness from within._

_No one had any idea of the warmth in Lena’s soul and no one would even give her the chance to show them. Kara, therefore, kept her silence. She vowed to do everything in her power to love this woman, even if it was just as a friend. Because, Rao, this woman deserved to be loved. Kara happily took up every invitation Lena extended, surprised the brunette with flower or lunch deliveries on the days Kara knew were complicated and demanding (and Lena marveled at how Kara always knew). She acted as a sounding board when Lena was struggling with a new idea, let her vent out her frustrations of trying to lead in a male-dominated business world. But Kara always kept her true feelings for Lena hidden, too afraid to lose what they had made for themselves._

_It was during one of Lena’s night-on-the-terrace invitations that their relationship did change, but at Lena’s doing. As Kara was regaling one of her recent, clumsier moments, one that had ended with Snapper covered in a CatCo employee’s birthday cake, Lena had kissed her. Kara had been too busy laughing at herself, awkwardly adjusting her glasses, to notice Lena lean in and cover Kara’s lips with her own. The kiss was tentative and brief but it lit every nerve in Kara’s body. As Lena pulled back slightly, Kara could not help the disgruntled whine at their parting._

_“I take it that was welcomed?” Lena whispered, pressing her forehead against Kara’s, a small but satisfied smirk growing on her face._

_“Very welcomed. Like sooooo very welcomed.” Kara leaned in and returned the kiss, this one more intimate, longer._

_It had been very difficult leaving Lena that night with only kisses. The hook in Kara’s heart strained harder with every step away from Lena’s apartment she took. Back at her own apartment, as she struggled to find sleep, Kara worried that their kissing was a product of the wine Lena and she had shared and wondered if in the morning Lena would have either forgotten or worse, regretted their intimacy. But Kara found a gorgeous Lena at her doorstep the next morning. A Lena who sweetly kissed her lips, as if she had been doing it for years, before strutting into Kara’s apartment carrying a box of the blonde’s favorite sticky buns._

************************************************************************************

It was not until the morning of the funeral that Kara, at last, spoke as she rose from the kitchen bar, her bowl of cereal left untouched.

“Alex?” It was barely more than a whisper but it was enough to startle the older sibling as she cleaned up the evidence of her own breakfast.

Alex quickly turned, her surprise of the first real sign of life from her sister evident. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Thank you for…everything.” It was low and soft, filled with sadness and guilt.

Alex took Kara into her arms, hugging her tightly. “I love you, Kara. I’m going to take care of you, we’ll keep taking it one day at a time. It’s going to be okay.”

The funeral was short but did justice to Lena and her life. Kara’s heart swelled at the sight of the full cathedral – an indication that Lena was more liked than the brunette ever thought was possible. The priest delivered an elegant eulogy, most likely written by someone from L-Corp. Kara thought it was satisfactory although there was so much more beauty to Lena that only Kara knew. If only she could stand and say those things to these people who never had the chance to really know Lena. The gravesite service was short and tastefully done as well. Kara was thankful for Alex and Maggie, who shook the hands of each mourner as they passed by the coffin to pay their last respects, because she was once again lost to the world, too caught up in her visions of Lena.

As the last few guests made their way back up the grassy slope toward the gravel lane of cars, Alex asked Kara if she was ready to return home.

“Can I have a minute?” Kara looked up at her sister, eyes beginning to water.

“Of course, sweetheart, take your time,” Alex kissed Kara’s cheek. “We’ll just be up by the car whenever you are ready.”

For the first time in a dozen years Kara felt truly alone as she stood and stared at the finality that was Lena’s coffin. And it wrecked her.

************************************************************************************

“Why are you making me watch this?” The tears would not stop. No matter how hard she willed them to obey, they fell in a constant stream down her cheeks. She saw the man in the driver seat glare at her in the rearview mirror, his disgust for her tears etched in his snarl. “Please, can we go now? I can’t watch this…I can’t,” a strangled sob broke free.

She surveyed the distant scene across the cemetery lawn from where they were parked. Her heart broke over and over as she looked out at the mourners, so many of them, returning to their vehicles. But it was the sight of the one who chose to stay behind that nearly killed her, the one who stood there so alone as if she was the last living soul on the planet. She heard the other man, the one in the passenger seat, turn and felt his hand reach out to cover her own, and it took everything for her not to recoil in disgust. Glancing up, she found eyes so different from her own inspecting her. Eyes black and evil, as if they belonged to the devil himself. She swallowed hard and tried once more, “Please?”

“I don’t know if I’ve made my point yet, dear sister.” He squeezed her hand before letting go and turning back to gaze out the front, off toward the city. “I am sorry I had to do this, Lena,” he replied. “On one hand, if you had let my assassins do their work, you wouldn’t have been put in this situation.” Lex sighed in semi-annoyance. “But on the other hand, perhaps your stubbornness will have its uses.” He turned to face her once more. “I need you, Lena. More specifically, I need your brain. And that is not easy for me to admit.” He gestured across to the few people left from the funeral that were still standing on the small road. “Do this and we keep all of them safe, the world safe. Do this for me,” he glanced out the window to the lone figure standing at the grave, “and I may let you return to your little reporter.”

Lena wiped the tears from her face but more fell along the soaked paths down her cheeks as she looked back out the window at Kara’s slumped figure standing alone in front of the grave, arms wrapped around her middle as though she was literally trying to hold herself together, shoulders quaking with every cry. Lena took a deep breath and straightened in her seat. “I’ll do it.”


	2. Chapter 2

Lena Luthor never intended to be late for work that morning. Her addiction to her insatiable blonde fiancée, she smiled at that word, made this a common reoccurrence, however. At 7:46, she stepped into the shower going over all of the things she needed to do that day. She still needed to do her hair and makeup, dress, and somehow get to work by 9:00 to go through her presentation with Stephanie Garvin, her head of international acquisitions, before they went into the meeting with the Japanese investors.

She heard Kara calling from the bedroom. She ducked her head out from under the spray.

“What? I’m in the shower!”

She heard Kara respond but couldn’t make it out. As she stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel, Kara came into the bathroom.

“I said, you got a fax.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed – only a handful of people knew her home fax number because it was used for confidential or delicate matters that she did not like going through the many channels at L-Corp. She took the fax from Kara and read the three lines on the page.

_L.,_

_I found it and you’re not going to like where I found it._

_P._

It was from Patrick Rogers, the division manager for L-Corp’s most prestigious (and secretive) branch of Research and Design. There were three L-Corp individuals other than her secretary, Jess, that Lena trusted with her life: Patrick Rogers, Travis Kaplan, her senior accountant, and Gabriela Sommerville who ran the corporate law team. Lena prided herself in discovering untapped talent. And she had a knack for it. Patrick, Travis, and Gabriela were all young and driven and had previously been in positions where they were severely underappreciated. She found Patrick at a tech start-up, answering to three lab managers who always neglected to listen to him or took credit for his work. Lena bought the start-up out right and fired every manager and administrator, handing the whole operation to Patrick. Then, after Patrick and his team made two successful products that helped L-Corp start on the path of public redemption, Lena folded the team into R and D and gave them her most important projects. Travis had actually been buried at the bottom of a team of accountants and lawyers at L-Corp when Lena took over. In one of her first business transactions as CEO, as L-Corp prepared to buy a major mineral refinery, Travis himself approached Lena with information of a financial cover-up that the mineral company had engaged in to get L-Corp to the table – information Travis’ superiors had missed. Lena immediately promoted him. Gabriela was a paralegal, too busy to even think about going to law school herself and too broke. Lena had been so impressed by Gabriela’s intelligence and research abilities that she poached her from the firm she worked at and paid her to get her law degree. Gabriela went on to graduate top of her class and within two years was exclusively leading L-Corp’s law division. In the last three years the four of them had turned L-Corp from a public disaster back to its previously respected position as the top conglomerate in the world.

Lena folded the fax and reached for the lighter laying on the vanity. She lit the corner of the paper and watched as the flames grew. When they were big enough that she could feel the heat, she dropped the fax in the sink and let it finish burning before rinsing the ashes down the drain.

“Uh, is everything okay?”

“Mmmm.” Lena kissed Kara’s forehead distractedly. “I’m going to be late.”

As she emerged from the bedroom, Lena smiled at Kara waiting at the front door, Lena’s purse held out in one hand and two to-go coffees balancing in the other. Lena cupped Kara’s chin and kissed her deeply. “I love you, darling.”

“Have a good day,” Kara said as she helped Lena slip the purse onto her shoulder and opened the door once Lena had taken both coffees. “You’re going to do great, like always. I love you.”

Lena walked to the elevator, feeling Kara’s eyes following her.

“Stop staring at my ass, Danvers.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened.

“Not a chance, Luthor.”

Lena pressed the lobby button, turned in the elevator and evaluated her fiancée who was lazily leaning against their doorway, arms crossed. The ridiculous cartoon t-shirt she was wearing, the only thing she was wearing, barely coming down to her mid thigh. It was so Kara. Goofy, happy, and innocent. And yet still so sexy. Lena smirked at the sight and winked as the elevator doors closed.

Outside, she found her driver, Mick, waiting patiently next to one of L-Corp’s luxury sedans.

“Good morning, Ms. Luthor. Straight to L-Corp this morning?” He opened the door and gave her a confused look as she handed him one of the coffees.

Lena smiled at the slight blush on his face as she answered. “From Kara. And yes, straight to it.”

Lena had become quite amused at the relationship Kara and Mick had established. Kara, too sweet and accommodating of others, always insisted on opening the doors for herself and Lena. Mick was the most professional driver Lena had ever found (and she made sure he was the highest paid driver in National City for it). So Mick refused, very professionally, of course, Kara’s every insistence. This more often than not led to a battle of politeness between the two. Lena knew as she slid into the backseat that Mick was already working out a way to get Kara back for the coffee. She leaned back in her seat and contemplated Mick’s face in the rearview mirror as they pulled away from the curb. She needed to revise her previous list – Mick was definitely someone she trusted at L-Corp too.

************************************************************************************

“Patrick.” Lena waved from behind her desk, her other hand covering the mouthpiece of the phone pressed to her ear. “Come in and sit down.”

Her office had a west view out over the rest of the city. Between the other downtown buildings of National City you could make out the bay that shimmered in the late morning light.

“Give me just a second.” She turned back to her phone. “Yes, Steph, we’ll go over all of that. Yes. Patrick is actually in my office now.”

Patrick took the hefty document that Lena extended out to him and watched as she walked over to the printer to pick up an even bigger bundle sitting in the tray. He turned to the document in his hands, skimming the content page.

“I’m sure he’s brought the information drive with him.”

Patrick held up the flash drive in his hand that contained the specs and data for their new tech piece, an implant for individuals of alien races that could help them detect harmful toxins, minerals, etc…in their presence. Lena picked up her own drive and tossed it to Patrick. She pointed to her computer and gestured for him to make a copy of the information on to her own drive. Patrick came around her desk and sat in her chair as he began the work.

Lena continued on the phone. “Steph, I think being honest is the best policy. I certainly don’t have any impulse to hold anything back, let them know…No, no…If they don’t want to invest because we haven’t made one for every race yet then that is their problem…Well, we can do that first thing in the morning. Check with Jess, I’m sure I have time. If not we’ll make time.”

She hung up the phone and watched Patrick work at her desk for a moment before walking over to him.

“So where is it?” She sat on the edge of the desk and looked out over the city. The brief pause in Patrick’s typing was the only indication that he had heard her.

“I finally got the tracker to ping and it gave me some but not all of the GPS tracking. I don’t know how it left here or where it went right afterward. But the packaged traveled through…through North Morrilton,” he paused and swallowed, “where it stayed for a few hours. It’s since moved, headed north, but I haven’t received another ping.” Patrick finished typing on the computer and swung the chair to face her. He curiously regarded her face. He half expected her to be angry and to yell. At least, be visibly upset. But Lena was all stone as she gazed out at the cityscape. “I can’t be sure,” he continued, “where it went once it was in North Morrilton. Like I said, there was insufficient data so I just know it was briefly somewhere there in the city.”

North Morrilton was a decent size suburb of National City. It had its own mall, was well known for its school district, and was famous for its new aged restaurants. It was also previously home to one of L-Corp’s anti-alien research branches when Lex was in charge. Lena had immediately shut it down when she took over, one of her first steps to rid Luthor Corp of its stigma. To her knowledge, it was now an empty set of buildings that she had yet to find other uses for.

After a few moments of silence, Patrick asked, “Do you want me to go out there and check it out?”

“No. Let’s try to get that tracker working so we know where it is going. We don’t know that this is anything bad yet.” She stood and Patrick followed suit. “But first I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course.” He moved away from her chair so that she could sit in her proper place. He took up residence in front of the desk, grabbing the documents she had handed him earlier.

“Can you go,” She sat and began to write a name and an address on a post-it, “and see Dylan Phillips for me?”

“Phillips? Is this the one from Saturn?” He took the post-it from her.

“Yes. See if he is ready to start the implant trial please.”

Patrick left her office and she once again turned to gaze at her view of the city. A month ago one of her research teams had found an unusual substance in a meteor crash site in Central America. The team brought some of it back to the lab and tried desperately to unlock the substance’s secrets. But the harder they tried, the further they seemed to be from getting answers. Whenever they attempted to test the substance against or with a different element that element took on the substance’s stubbornness, becoming a greater version of itself. The team dubbed the substance Caeneus because of its impenetrable nature and strength. It was not until one of the researchers had made the joke, “I bet this new lead would really fuck up Superman and Supergirl,” that Lena became concerned. If he was right about the lead being more powerful, Caeneus could be combined with Kryptonite and a stronger and impenetrable Kryptonite was not something Lena wanted in this world. She immediately ordered for every ounce of Caeneus to be extracted from the crash site and securely stored in the depths of L-Corp’s labs. She then bought all the land around the crash site and paid a hefty price to keep it secured. It made her feel safer knowing she had the situation as much under her control as she could. That was until Patrick informed her that some of their Caeneus stock had gone missing two days ago. She had been hoping, even praying, that a lab technician had merely pulled the wrong container for shipping to one of their outside labs. But the fact that the tracker was not working properly and its travel log showed a shipping route they never used made her nervous.

Lena picked up her cell phone and started to scroll to her future sister-in-law’s number. The DEO should probably be let in on this little incident, just in case. Before she could tap Alex’s number her desk phone rang. It was Patrick’s office number. Confused, she picked up the line. “I thought you were going out to…”

“I need you down here. Right now.” She heard the click of the line as he hung up. Patrick was not one for dramatics and he sounded quite unlike himself. She quickly took her private elevator, one of only three ways down to Patrick’s division, and entered the lab which she found was empty. Patrick had about a dozen team members but none were currently there. This wasn’t that unusual she told herself as she walked to Patrick’s office in the back. She remembered she had sign travel request forms for several of them to go to Peru. Or was it Columbia? They must be on their trip.

“Patrick?” she called out. She didn’t get a verbal answer but heard what sounded like someone unloading boxes in one of the storage rooms.

She barely registered the prick of the needle to her neck or the arms that navigated her now drowsy form to the floor. All she remembered was the silhouette standing over her. And then darkness.

************************************************************************************

“Hit me, Alex!”

“I’m not going to hit you! Have you lost your mind?!”

“Hit me. NOW.” Kara growled as she swung a punch at Alex’s head.

Alex successfully dodged the attempted assault and turned to look at her sister in disbelief. “And what, break my hand? How is that going to help, Kara?”

“Then hit me with your gun. Do it, Alex. Do it. DO IT!” Kara was barely a foot away from Alex who could feel the hotness of the words across her face.

Only hesitating briefly, Alex swung her gun from her back and slammed it across Kara’s face. Kara fell onto the kitchen floor, hands over her face. “Are you happy now?! Is that what you wanted?!” Alex screamed at her sister. “What was the point of this, Kara? Kara?”

Kara’s cruel laugh brought flashbacks of her being under the influence of Red Kryptonite. Alex nervously watched as her sister stood slowly and removed her hands to reveal a stream of blood running down her face, her nose visibly broken. “Do you understand now?” She was shaking in anger. “I’m not Supergirl anymore. Now get out.”

“Oh my God, Kara!” Alex grabbed a handful of paper towels and made her way to the freezer for ice, ignoring Kara’s last command. “No, I don’t understand. How?” She turned and pressed the makeshift ice pack to Kara’s face, guiding the blonde to one of the bar stools. “Why did you tell me to hit you?”

“So that you would finally understand! You keep bugging me to help the DEO and I can’t! My powers, they’re gone. I literally can’t help you!” Kara knew this was a semi-lie. She did want Alex to know about her power loss but she also wanted to feel the pain. She wanted to physically feel something.

“How long have they been gone?” Alex reached over and removed Kara’s hair from her face, many strands now stained with blood.

Kara looked to the ceiling, grief mixing with anger. Her face contorted to keep the hot tears from spilling. “Lena.”

Alex’s head dropped with frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I…I thought they would come back. I just wanted to fly out of here but the more I wanted to the less able I was.” Kara gently wiped some of the blood from her face and continued, “I thought if I could get out there, make a difference it would make me feel better if that’s even possible. But then…then I realized I really didn’t want to. I couldn’t keep her safe, how could I keep anyone else safe?” She took a deep breath. “I feel like I’m in some sort of purgatory.”

“No one could have saved Lena, sweetheart. People are killed in car accidents every day, unfortunately, and not even Supergirl can prevent every one of them. You keep the city as a whole safe. Safe from terrorists, safe from rogue aliens, safe from all of the bad guys.”

“No, damn it, Alex, you don’t understand.” Kara gritted in frustration. She got up from the stool and walked to the terrace door. “When I met Lena something…, I don’t know. Something clicked. It was like my senses automatically tuned to her. I could hear her heart always, no matter how far apart we were, hear her voice even when I didn’t use my super hearing.” She put the ice pack back on her nose, wincing in pain. “It took a while for me to be able to tune it out or at least keep it at the peripheral. But it was always there. And at some point that day it was…gone.”

“When the accident happened,” Alex provided as she joined Kara at the door.

Kara removed the ice pack and turned to face Alex. “No, it was earlier than that. Lena left for work like always. I heard her arrive at L-Corp, everything seemed fine. But then a couple hours later I noticed her heartbeat was just gone.”

“Gone?”

“Like I said, I always tried to push hearing her to the peripheral. And you and I were investigating that White Martian and the oil tankard explosion and when we got back to the DEO I realized I couldn’t hear her anymore.”

“Kara that doesn’t make any sense. We were back at the DEO by noon. Lena’s accident wasn’t until after 3 pm.” Alex sat down at the dining table.

Kara threw the ice pack down hard on the table. “I know, Alex! That’s all I can think about! If I could’ve heard her then I could have gotten her to the hospital quicker. She could have lived.” The anger and sadness were fighting inside her, each trying to fight for the chance to boil out.

Alex pulled Kara towards her. “There must be some explanation. Come with me to the DEO. Let me do some tests, get your nose fixed. We’ll see about getting your powers back,” she sighed and stood, “we can figure out what’s going on.”

“Alex,” Kara hung her head. “I don’t…I don’t think I can be Supergirl again.” She turned back to the terrace door. “I know you’re only trying to help. I really do. But it’s been almost three weeks now and they’re still not back. Even if they were I don’t know if I can go back to a life without Lena.”

“Kara, you can’t stop living. I’m still here, Mom is still here, Clark, Winn, James, we are all here for you. Your life is still here!”

“But I was better when I was with Lena. She made me better at being Supergirl.”

“You were Supergirl long before Lena came into the picture,” Alex argued.

“But I was better,” Kara emphasized again, “once Lena knew. You know it and I know it."

************************************************************************************

_The silence was horrific. As the elevator stopped on their apartment floor, Lena had yet to utter a word since their departing from Alex and Maggie’s apartment. Kara and Lena had decided to come out about their relationship to her sister and it had not gone well. ‘The biggest understatement in the galaxy,’ Kara thought._

_‘She’s a Luthor. A LUTHOR, KARA! You know what her brother has done, what her mother has done to US!’ Alex tore herself from the table but then rounded on Kara again. ‘How could you do this?’_

_Kara’s eyes flickered to Lena across the table. Lena’s face did not betray her to Alex and Maggie, but the stuttering of her heart and the shakiness of her next breath, only detectable to Kara’s powers, gave her away._

_‘I can’t believe you just said that,’ Kara rose slowly from her seat. “How COULD you say that? She saved your life and she has proven herself over and over to everyone. AND SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO!’ Kara was now right up in Alex’s face. ‘She should be allowed to live her own life, not one handed down from her mother or brother and definitely not one you people keep trying to pin her to! And I’ve chosen to live it with her!’_

_‘You can’t,’ snarled Alex. ‘You know you can’t,’ she cast a suspicious glance in Lena and Maggie’s direction, both of whom were still in the dark about Kara being Supergirl. ‘Let’s finish this in private,’_

_Kara turned back toward Lena, giving her a smile that she hoped was reassuring before hurrying after her sister. Once on the roof of the apartment building, she and Alex waged a war greater than any they had fought in their lifetime. Their training sessions at the DEO when Kara had first embraced her superhero identity had been less aggressive than this. By the time they reached their stalemate, Alex had completely lost her voice and Kara had stomped enough dents in the roof to make an insurance company believe National City had suffered the worst hailstorm in history._

_Kara had gone back down to the apartment, leaving Alex fuming on the roof, to find Lena and Maggie still side-by-side in silence at the dining room table, food untouched. ‘Let’s go home,’ she softly whispered to Lena. Kara helped Lena put her coat on, thanked Maggie for the dinner and apologized for the dramatics. Once in the car, it was Kara who had to inform Mick to take them home as Lena silently stared out the window, the only indication of the night’s events in the knit of her brow._

_Now at home, Kara was sure Lena would say something, anything. She watched as Lena placed her purse on the entry table and hung her coat in the closet. But the only sounds that came were Lena’s heels as she crossed the living room and then the click of the lock on the bedroom door._

_Kara sat on the couch and waited, expecting Lena to come back out to the living room. But she never did. Kara sat there alone, struggling with her next move. She had vowed to never purposely use her powers in their personal life. Both because Lena was still a very private individual, and Kara very much respected that, and also because Kara did not want to risk revealing her powers and therefore her superhero identity, the latter one of the hundred reasons Alex opposed of their pairing. But Kara had never experienced Lena not powerful, not confident. Lena always defended herself, went to verbal blows with anyone who stood in her way. And although Lena gave the appearance of being put together during this whole ordeal, her unusual silence told a different story._

_Resigning herself to the guilt of her actions, Kara took a deep breath and focused on bringing the sight and sounds of Lena to the forefront of her perception. Lena was crumpled on the bedroom floor, one high heel disregarded and her dress partly unzipped. Lena’s shoulders shook, her hand covering her mouth as a sob fought its way out. The gasp of air and the next sob from the brunette broke Kara’s resolve._

_Kara crossed the room and pressed her head to the door. 'Lena? Open the door…Please?' The sounds of Lena’s crying were now too loud in her ears. 'Lena?' She tried the door despite having heard the lock click when Lena had entered._

_At this Lena gasped, ‘Kara, please don’t.’_

_‘Alex’s problem is more with me than you. I just… it’s so complicated being her sister.’ Kara spoke through the door._

_‘Her problem,’ Lena growled so low that Kara nervously took a step back from the bedroom door, ‘is that I am a Luthor. And that despite all the things I have done to show everyone that I am not my brother, I am not my mother, I am still accountable for their crimes.’_

_‘Honey, no. It’s not because of you…’ She couldn’t lie; this was because Lena was a Luthor. But also because she was Supergirl. ‘I mean it’s not only because you are a Luthor. This also has to deal with me, with who I am.’_

_‘So if you weren’t Alex’s sister, this would be fine? That still hurts, Kara! Because it still comes down to me not being good enough for you. And I am well aware of that on my own, thank you very much.’ The venom in Lena’s voice stung. ‘But I have learned to accept this fact and have done everything, EVERYTHING, in my power to try to deserve you. I’m trying…’ A new wave of sobs broke her voice and Kara watched through the door as Lena’s body sagged lower toward the floor._

_‘This isn’t because I am Alex’s sister, well not really,’ Kara’s own tears threatened to spill from her eyes. ‘Please open the door, please let me explain.’_

_But Lena didn’t budge, either from being too taken with crying or purposely to keep Kara out. Kara couldn’t take it any longer. Her love for Lena was too great and this love was not going to survive her secret if kept. If they were going to face all of those around them who did not believe in them, they would need to provide a united front. It was time for Lena to know. But what if Lena did not want her? Kara knew from watching Clark and Lois that a relationship involving a superhero was taxing. What if Lena’s old anti-alien sentiments reared their ugly head? Lena had made great strides to overcome this view, gladly and often accepting the help of Supergirl. But working alongside an alien was much different than loving one to many people._

_But it was time for Lena to know, Kara told herself again. Time for Lena to have the ball in her hands, the decision of their future on her shoulders. It wasn’t right to keep lying to her._

_Kara walked out onto the terrace and flew over to the bedroom balcony. Kara secretly kept this door unlocked at all times just in case. ‘Lena?’_

_Lena looked up, her face in utter shock, ‘How did you get onto the balcony?!’_

_Kara ignored the question and began to slowly approach Lena. ‘This is not just because you are a Luthor. And it’s not just because I am Alex’s sister.’ Her fingers shook as she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing first blue, then red and gold. ‘It’s because no one believes a Luthor and a Super could possibly be together.’ She crossed the remaining space to Lena and knelt on both knees in front of the astonished woman. ‘Except for me.’ Kara gently lifted Lena’s hand and pressed it against her S. ‘I believe that you are a good person. An amazing person, who has struggled too much to fit in and to find love in this world. But I love you. I. Love. You. Nothing will ever stop me from loving you. Not your family, not mine, not our pasts, our names, nothing. You are what I want.’_

_Silence._

_Lena finally sighed and pulled her hand from Kara’s chest. She let her head drop into her hands and choked out an angry chuckle. ‘I am so stupid. How did I not see this?’_

_Kara's shoulders sagged in defeat. This was not the response she had hoped for._

_‘I mean you ‘flew here on a bus’ for God’s sake,’ Lena pinched the bridge of her nose, her voice full of frustration and exhaustion._

_Kara asked softly, ‘Are you mad?’_

_Lena looked pointedly at Kara, studying Kara’s face like she had never seen it before. She stood, and kicked off her remaining heel before responding, ‘Yes.’_

_Kara’s body ached with fear of what was to come next. Her breath was wildly irregular. But she remained on her knees, her physical position mimicking her mind’s acceptance that their relationship and her identity were at Lena’s mercy now._

_‘How could you keep this from me? Lie to me like this?’ Lena began to pace in front of her. ‘My parents, Lex, and now you. I guess it’s fitting for the trend to continue,’ she spat._

_Kara winced at the accusation. ‘I wasn’t sure how to tell you,’ Kara continued to look at the floor, ‘and I didn’t want the strain of knowing who I really am on you or to risk your safety.’_

_Lena stopped in front of her, a hand angrily on her hip. ‘You still should have told me. I’ve survived worse than Supergirl.’_

_‘I know,’ Kara admitted._

_‘Stand up,’ Lena commanded._

_Kara did as she was told and stood, but did not let her eyes meet Lena’s. After a moment, Lena undid two more of Kara’s buttons and pushed the sides of the shirt further apart to fully reveal the House of El crest. She then slid Kara’s glasses from her face and reached around to unclip the blonde’s hair. Slowly, she lifted Kara’s chin. Lena’s eyes searched Kara’s face again, and then her fingertips joined the exploration._

_Kara was entranced by the conflicting soft caresses of Lena’s fingers and the distrust and hurt still launching from Lena’s eyes. ‘It’s still me, Lena. I’m still me.’ Kara gently took hold of Lena’s wrist and placed Lena’s hand on her chest, this time over her heart._

_Lena rose up on her toes and gently placed her lips on Kara’s, a tentative kiss much like their first. Kara gently tangled her fingers in Lena’s hair and tried to deepen the kiss but Lena pulled back too quickly and continued to study Kara’s face._

_‘You’re going to have to give me some time to adjust to this,’ she whispered._

_‘I know,’ Kara took a step back. ‘You can have as much time as you need.’_

_Lena nodded and then walked to the bathroom, leaving the door cracked. Kara took this as a sign that maybe, just maybe things would be okay._

_For the next three days they lived as if they couldn’t see one another. Kara slept on the couch. Lena went to work early and came home late. But on the fourth night Lena came home early. Kara was sitting on the couch with a large pizza, her laptop and notepad open as she tried to work through her new piece on National City’s alien employee rights movement. Kara glanced at Lena, curious at this change in their new routine, before returning back to her work. It wasn’t until Lena sat down next to her that she finally looked up and met Lena’s eyes._

_‘May I have a piece?’ Lena softly asked._

_Kara couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as she held out the box so Lena could take a piece of her choosing._

_After they each had finished eating, Lena spoke again. ‘I’m ready to talk, whenever you are. I know you’re busy,’ she gestured to Kara’s work spread across the coffee table. ‘But I am ready as soon as you are.’_

_‘I’m ready now.’ Kara closed her laptop and turned to face Lena._

_Lena steeled herself, took a deep breath and then started. ‘I’m still angry that you lied to me. I never expected it from you.’ Kara sadly nodded and Lena continued. ‘But I do understand your need for secrecy, especially with my…my past, my family and their views.’_

_Kara reached over and took Lena’s hand. ‘I have never not trusted you. And I know you…Damn it!’_

_Lena looked thoroughly confused as Kara shot up from the couch in her exclamation and made her way to the guest bedroom. Before Lena could blink, Supergirl emerged just as the sounds of sirens floated in through the open terrace door._

_‘I’m so sorry, Lena. I’ll be back soon, I promise.’ Kara stooped and lightly kissed Lena’s cheek before making her way out onto the terrace._

_Two hours later, Kara lightly landed back on the terrace. It had been a rough fight but she had triumphed as she always did. As she stepped into the apartment she rolled her shoulder, trying to ease the pain in it. She found Lena still on the couch watching coverage of Supergirl’s endeavor being replayed over and over. Kara rolled her shoulder again as she watched the footage of herself being dragged up the side of a building by the Alstairan warrior, concrete and glass spraying in her wake. Her wince during the stretching move startled Lena who gasped and spun to find Kara standing behind her._

_‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.’ Kara noted the tear stains on Lena’s cheeks and the relief in her eyes as she took in superhero’s appearance._

_Lena stood and took Kara in her arms, burying her face into Kara’s neck. ‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’_

_‘My shoulder hurts a bit but nothing the sun won’t heal in the morning.’ She pressed her nose into Lena’s hair and hummed as she inhaled her scent deeply._

_‘I kind of hate that I know that was you. I’ve never been so worried, watching that…that thing hurt you like that.’ Kara felt Lena’s words against her neck, felt fresh tears spill from her eyes._

_‘That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want to tell you. I don’t want you to worry. I hate it when you’re upset in any way.’ Kara tightened her arms around Lena and began kissing the top of her head. ‘But I promise I’ll always come home to you. I’ll never let anything stop me from that.’ She brought Lena’s face up to her own and kissed her._

_Lena pulled back and cupped Kara’s face. ‘We still need to talk,’ she sighed._

_Kara studied Lena’s eyes for a moment and was relieved to find only love. She scooped Lena into her arms and whispered, ‘Yes, but not tonight,’ as she carried Lena to the bedroom._

************************************************************************************

Lena gasped as she came to. She felt like she had the worse hangover imaginable. Her mouth was dry and her eyes were very sensitive to the light. She tried to sit but became nauseated at the slightest movement. After a few deep breaths, her vision began to clear and she took note of the room around her. She was in a concrete room, one that looked very similar to that of a police interrogation room. From what she could see, the only furniture in the room was the cot she was laying on and a small table next to the cot that had a plate of food and a water bottle. As she reached for the water bottle she noticed the cotton ball taped into the crook of her arm. Someone had been taking her blood. Just as she reached further towards the bottle, another hand came into her sight, grabbing the bottle and handing it to her. She strained her neck back and found the most unlikely person sitting behind her.

“Lex?”

He smiled and ran his hand through her hair. “Hello, my dear sister. It’s good to see you again.”

Lena’s laugh was cut short as a new way of nausea took over her. “Funny coming from someone who has been trying to kill me.”

He smiled and then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Only twice.”

Lena watched as her brother rose and began to pace the room. She finally managed to prop herself up. “How’d you escape from jail?”

“I’ve never been in jail.” He stopped his pacing and leaned against the wall, picking some dirt out from underneath his fingernail. Noting the casual air around him, and his appearance, that clearly indicated he was well fed and perfectly fine, Lena didn’t challenge his confession.

“What is this all about?” Lena fought to keep down the bile that was rising in her throat. The room was going in and out of focus again and she felt like she might pass out.

“Supergirl.” Lex smiled at his sister. “I need Supergirl. And I’m told that the quickest way to her is through you.”

With her brother’s words ringing in her ears, Lena let the darkness take her once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goal is to get a chapter up a week. Since school started last week I might stumble a bit with this but I will do my best. Thank you all for the kudos and comments - its great motivation to keep going.


	3. Chapter 3

Lena woke again hours later to the concrete room. This time it was empty. She took several deep breaths before pushing herself on her arms, thankful that she did not feel sick, only sore. As she sat on the edge of the cot she began formulating a plan. Lex wanted Kara – no Supergirl. God, she prayed, please don’t let him know that it’s Kara, her Kara.

Before she could test standing up, the metal door across the room opened. A thick-bearded man in a suit stood in the doorway. “Mr. Luthor requests your presence.”

“Tell him he can go fuck himself,” she spat.

“Mr. Luthor thought you might say something to that effect.” The man walked to the cot and reached into his pocket taking out a phone. He held it up to her face so that she could watch him select the video from one of National City’s news stations.

_‘Tonight on the 10 o'clock news: breaking update, KTNC Channel 4 can now confirm that L-Corp’s CEO, Lena Luthor, was tragically killed in a head-on collision this afternoon. Ms. Luthor was rushed to National City Memorial Hospital where she later died from her injuries.’ Images of the accident, narrated by the newscaster, showed the massive destruction of two vehicles and dozens of emergency personnel looming about. ‘The second driver died at the scene, identification has yet to be made for this individual. Sarah Williamson has the latest news from L-Corp.’_

The man pulled the phone back and exited the video as the second reporter came on the screen, L-Corp’s building just behind her. Rage boiled in Lena. It was one thing to kidnap her but then to stage her death – that was a new low even for Lex.

Lena got right in the man’s face and shouted, “Where is he?!”

“Mr. Luthor thought that might get you to understand,” an evil smiled played across his face. “This way…”

Lena was led through a maze of barren hallways that were decorated only by the occasional metal door much like the one to her own room. After several minutes, the man finally led her through one of these doors and into what looked like an empty lobby of a commercial building. Across this room, they entered an elevator where the man had to enter a code to gain access to their desired floor. Lena soon found herself in an immaculate office with a bank of windows overlooking a large laboratory. Here she could see dozens of people working, walking back and forth between stations of some of the most advanced equipment Lena had ever seen.

“What do you think, Lena?” She turned and found that Lex had entered the room via a hidden door in the wall, his arms outstretched as if he was presenting her with the world. He had his old boyish smile spread across his face and it reminded her of her first days with the Luthors after being adopted, as Lex showed her his favorite spots on the grounds of the family’s estate and his science projects in the makeshift lab he had built in the pool house. And this carefree attitude of his made her angrier. “Not as big as any of the labs at Luthor Corp, excuse me, L-Corp,” his smile faltered a bit but he continued as he took a spot next to her at the windows, “but more advanced. I promise you that. As you can see we have an electro–”

The smack of her hand across his face echoed sharply throughout the room. When Lex’s eyes met her own she saw the madness that had slowly taken over him throughout the years peering back at her, the boyish smile far gone.

Lex then began to laugh manically. “I guess that means you had to show her the video,” he directed at the bearded man as he broke into another fit of laughter.

“What have you done?!” Lena shrieked, his laughing made her blood boil even more. She raised her hand to grab him but Lex caught her wrist, his face switching too suddenly from crazed laughter to the look of murder.

“Careful, sister. I’ve always loved your feistiness but don’t push me too far.” He got close to her face. “To answer your question I must ask you the same: what have you done?”

“I haven’t done anything!”

“Then why is our mother sitting in a cell?” His voice was dangerous and cold.

“Your mother, not mine.” She tried to wring her wrist free but his grip only tightened.

“My sources tell me that it was you who thwarted mother’s virus, that you personally called the police on her.” At this he released her. He turned his back on her and walked behind the lavish desk that decorated the center of the room. “I thought your public appearance of being pro-alien was merely a business ploy. Have you really turned your back on our beliefs?”

With a raised chin she replied. “I have. I’ve learned that, just like humans, there are both good and bad aliens. The good ones deserve to be trusted, they are only looking for a normal life. They want to help put away the bad ones, just as much as we do.”

“And you suppose Supergirl is one of these good ones?” She watched as Lex retrieved a file from one of the desk’s drawers and opened it to reveal photographs of herself and Supergirl. He threw them across the desk causing them to scatter wildly. Lena saw herself with Supergirl at the scene of devastation after the L-Corp renaming, another of them at her gala for the children’s hospital before it was crashed. Dozens of pictures of the two of them. Lex sifted through the messy pile until he found a specific set. He held them out to her. “These are particularly troubling…”

Lena turned through the pictures. The first showed her and Supergirl walking from her office out onto the balcony, very clearly holding hands. The next showed Supergirl cup Lena’s face, their foreheads pressed intimately together. The third showed Supergirl lightly taking off, still holding Lena’s hand. Finally the fourth was just of Lena, smiling up into the sky.

“I truly do not understand it, sister,” Lex sneered venomously. “A Luthor and a Super do not belong together in any way, shape or form. Supers are not good. They are false gods, luring you away from your common sense. It’s seductive, I know. I know maybe better than anyone else.” Lena swallowed hard and tossed the pictures back into the pile. “A part of me wanted to send them to that fiancée of yours –”

Lena visibly exhaled. Oh, thank God, he didn’t know. But this relief was short lived.

“ –but I think she’s upset enough at the present time. Massey here tells me she’s quite the crier.”

“What?” Lena looked over at the bearded man who had taken a position in the corner of the room like a guard dog.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?! Massey, tsk tsk.” Lex waved his finger naughtily at the man, the crazed look returning to his eyes. He was enjoying this too much. “Massey was the one here who informed Ms. Danvers of your tragic death. Maybe,” he looked off to nowhere in particular, “I should send her the pictures anyway. Might make her feel better knowing you aren’t as perfect as you want everyone to think you are.”

Lena’s mind reeled. There was no way that Kara could believe she was dead. She tried to remember what Kara had told her…

************************************************************************************

_Lena watched for the tenth time as some creature pummeled into Supergirl, the impact forcing the hero back against and then up a building, debris scattering down from their path of destruction. Supergirl had won, of course. But the sight of Supergirl – no Kara – each time it replayed made Lena feel as if she was slipping off the edge of a cliff. Then, the sharp intake of breath behind her left Lena feeling as if she had really slipped._

_‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.’ Kara stood behind the couch, looking sheepishly at the ground, like a child that was about to be scolded as Lena whipped around to find the source of the sound._

_Lena stood quickly and took Kara into her arms, burying her face into Kara’s neck. ‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’ Lena took in Kara’s distinct scent, the warmth of her skin, the motion of her body as it breathed. All of the indications that the hero was living._

_‘My shoulder hurts a bit but nothing the sun won’t heal in the morning.’_

_‘I kind of hate that I know that was you.’ Lena couldn’t help the release of a fresh batch of tears, this time a product of relief rather than anxiety. ‘I’ve never been so worried, watching that…that thing hurt you like that.’_

_‘That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want to tell you. I don’t want you to worry. I hate it when you’re upset in any way.’ Lena felt Kara’s arms tightened and she lost herself in her girlfriend, wishing that she could somehow be closer to her. ‘But I promise I’ll always come home to you. I’ll never let anything stop me from that.’_

_Lena felt most of her worry drain away as Kara kissed her lips. ‘We still need to talk,’ she sighed, as she pulled back from the kiss._

_‘Yes, but not tonight.’_

_Lena gasped as she felt her feet leave the floor. ‘Please don’t hurt yourself further.’ She looked at Kara’s face as the blonde let out a soft chuckle. Lena marveled at the sight and sound. It was so clearly Kara. Kara in Supergirl’s suit. The shy smile, the sweet gleam in the soft blue eyes that sought every corner of a space before finally meeting Lena’s own eyes. All she was missing was her glasses to awkwardly fidget with._

_Lena felt her back softly hit their mattress but kept her arms wrapped around Kara’s neck, preventing the hero from standing back up. She was glad Kara took the hint and climbed on top of her after ungracefully kicking off her red boots._

_‘Kara…’ Lena brought Kara’s face to her own. ‘I love you. God, I love you so much.’ Her words were gentle yet urgent. She brought their lips together, kissing Kara with all the pent-up anxiety of the last few days. It felt like hours before they stopped kissing and touching, running their hands over one another’s skin in an effort to relearn each other without Kara’s secret in the way, a secret that they never knew was holding them back._

_Lena let her body succumb to uncontrollable tremors at Kara’s love. But then she felt Kara pull back, saw her mouth form her name in a question. ‘Lena?’_

_‘I need you…I just need you so badly, Kara.’ Lena raised her hips and squeezed her thighs tighter, preventing Kara from pulling back further._

_Lena couldn’t hold back the deep moan as Kara hungrily touched her again with her mouth and her hands. Lena gave herself to the hero with an abandon she had never before thought herself capable of – gave herself with a desire that left her body arching and pulsating. She cried out in satisfaction as she felt Kara enter her and hummed at Kara’s moan when Lena pressed her thigh up into the blonde. They held on to one another, arms and legs intertwined as if they had become a single being, rocking into one another until they both toppled into a joint wave of pleasure._

_They laid quietly in the moonlight together afterward. Lena tucked her head into Kara’s neck and let her fingertips trace Kara’s jawline. She sighed contently as Kara drew lazy figures on her back._

_‘How’s your shoulder?’ Lena asked, finally breaking their silence._

_‘It’s fine. Like I said, it’ll be completely fine in the morning with some sun.’_

_‘Will you explain it to me?’ Lena raised her head and looked at Kara. ‘What does it feel like?’_

_She watched Kara’s brow knit in concentration. ‘I’ve never really had to explain it before. I guess…I guess it’s like being hit with a tidal wave but at the same time its like coming up for air. It feels like relief like the wave is flushing away all the bad. The air so much clearer.’ She paused here still contemplating her response. ‘It feels like the face you make when you take a hot bath after a bad day.’_

_Lena laughed at this. ‘I understand.’ She ran the tip of her nose over Kara’s cheek before placing a quick kiss on the smooth skin there. ‘Basically, how I feel when I’m around you. I guess that makes you my sun then.’_

_‘Wow. Who ever thought Lena Luthor could be so cheesy?’ Kara’s face was all love though despite her attempt at a mocking tone._

_Lena kissed Kara once more before resting her head back in the crook of Kara’s neck. It may be cheesy, but it was true. Kara was the center of her universe – she was the universe. But for an instant, Lena was suddenly frightened. What would they do now? Images of Supergirl fighting, falling, hurting, flashed through her mind again. What if she lost Kara?_

_‘Lena? What’s wrong?’ Kara pulled away, trying to look her in the face._

_‘Nothing,’ she lied._

_‘Your heart says otherwise.’_

_Lena arched her eyebrow. ‘My heart?’_

_‘It changed. You’re nervous all of a sudden. Did I say something wrong?’ Kara lightly pushed Lena onto her back and sat up to finally look at her directly._

_‘You can tell when I’m nervous.’ It was more of a statement than a question. She watched Kara softly nod and placed her hand over Lena’s heart._

_‘I know your heartbeat better than anyone else’s. I hear you constantly, no matter where I am, no matter how far apart we are. I sometimes think your heartbeat is more a part of me than my own.’ Kara paused here for a brief moment. ‘I’ve learned how to tell when you are upset or scared or nervous, when you are happy,’ Kara let her fingers drift from Lena’s breast down her stomach to the top of her thighs, ‘when you are… I’m not sure what to label this one yet.’ Even in the moonlit room, Lena could see the blush across Kara’s cheeks._

_‘Turned on?’ Lena knew what to call this. The warm twisting of desire deep within her._

_Kara laughed. ‘Yeah. I love it when your heart does that one.’ Lena felt Kara place a kiss right above her belly button, felt the kiss turn to a smile as her heart skipped again. ‘That’s what I meant when I said I’d always come home to you. Home is you. And I’ll always find you, no matter where you are, nothing will keep me from coming back to you.’_

_‘Now who is the cheesy one?’ Although Lena meant to tease the crack in her voice betrayed her._

************************************************************************************

“Supergirl will find me. She won’t believe the news reports that I am dead.”

Lex gave her a sickly sweet smile. “She can’t hear you anymore, Lena.” Lena’s stomach dropped. How had Lex picked up on exactly what she had meant? “Your heartbeat is gone.” At the sight of Lena running her fingers along her neck, checking her pulse, Lex laughed again. “No, no, no, Lena. You still have a heartbeat, it’s just not yours.”

Lena sank into one of the chairs. If Kara could not hear her, would she believe that she had really died in the accident?

“The good thing about once being friends with a Super,” Lex continued, “is that you learn their weaknesses, how to defeat them, evade them if necessary. This is why Superman, Clark, has no idea what I’ve been doing the past four years. My heartbeat is in a maximum security cell. Along with a version of my body.”

Lena sat there in disbelief. “How?”

“It’s quite simple, Lena. Clark told me once about his ability to recognize heartbeats especially of the people whom he is closest to. Supers are able to do this because they hear the minuscule differences each heart has. Over time they can learn the different beats of a particular person. What you sound like when you are angry, scared, sad, and so forth.” Lena knew this, of course, but she sat in silence as Lex continued. “So I designed a special type of injection, one that could alter a heart beat enough that even a Super wouldn’t recognize it. Think of it like an adaptable, long-term version of propranolol but rather than slowing your heart down it changes its unique signature.”

Lex sat in the chair across the desk from her, seemingly oblivious to her unnerved state. “Now, this is where you come in, sister. I’ve done my best to avoid being detected and have thus far been successful. But now I need Caeneus – I need you to tell me how to break it.”

“No.” Her response was too soft at first but she repeated it with vigor. “No, absolutely not.” She knew what he wanted with it. It was the very thing that she had feared, the reason why she had tried to secure it all.

Lex continued as if she had said nothing. “And then you are going to tell me who Supergirl is.”

“I don’t know how to break it! And even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.” She stood suddenly and leaned over the desk into his face. “And I will never, NEVER, tell you who Supergirl is. When are you going to stop?! You can’t beat him…”

This was the breaking point. Lex swiped everything off the desk between them, kicking his chair over in the process. “Do not start with me again! I don’t need to hear your pro-alien bullshit now!”

Lena could not help herself and screamed right back at him. “This was never about being pro-alien! This is about you, ruining your life, ruining MY life all over again! You will never beat Superman, you will never beat Supergirl!”

“You will do this, Lena! You are a Luthor and you better start behaving like one!” He motioned over to Massey who quickly and tightly grabbed Lena’s shoulders.

“I am not yours anymore. Other than in business, the name Luthor means nothing to me – nothing other than hatred, prejudice, and cruelty. And stupidity,” she spat back at him as struggled to free herself from Massey’s grip.

“Get her out of here before I do something I’ll regret.”

************************************************************************************

Lena stayed in her room for five days after that, or at least she thought it had been five days. With no windows and no clock, she easily lost her sense of time. The only indication was the appearance of food on the table every so many hours. But even the food didn’t give her any indication. It was always the same generic cafeteria-styled lunch meal. Bland vegetables, pitiful fruit, and dry meat.

On what she guessed was the fifth day, Lex appeared with the food. Lena knew he was still angry with her and the things she had said. His brotherly charm was all but gone, the cruel madness left in its place.

“Eat. Then put these on.” He dropped a small duffle bag at her feet, its thud echoed throughout the room. “You have twenty minutes.”

In the bag she found clothes, some basic toiletries, and a pair of tennis shoes. She quickly changed, happy to be rid of the scrub-like outfit she had been in ever since she had awakened in this room. Before she could even start on her pathetic meal, Massey entered her room with a black canvas bag, which he roughly shoved over her head.

An hour later Lena found herself looking out over the funeral scene. “Why are you making me watch this?” She could not stop the tears or the sobs, the products of an intense grief that she didn’t realize was possible. “Please, can we go now? I can’t watch this…I can’t…” She looked to both men, pleading. But Massey only looked at her in the rearview mirror with disgust and Lex regarded her as if she was a stranger.

She turned back to the window when she received no response from either man. She surveyed the distant scene across the cemetery lawn from where they were parked. She swallowed hard and tried once more, “Please?” The sight of Kara, alone and crying, was too much for her to take. It felt like a knife twisting in her heart at the realization that Lex was right – Kara couldn’t hear her. She was right here. Lena tried with all of her might to make her heart beat louder, stronger, willing Kara to hear her. But the blonde never moved.

“I don’t know if I’ve made my point yet, dear sister.” She felt Lex reach back and squeeze her hand before letting go and turning back to gaze out the front, off toward the city. “I am sorry I had to do this, Lena. On one hand, if you had let my assassins do their work, you wouldn’t have been put in this situation. But on the other hand, perhaps your stubbornness will have its uses. I need you, Lena. More specifically, I need your brain. And that is not easy for me to admit.” He gestured across to the few people left from the funeral that were still standing on the small road. “Help me break Caeneus so I can rid the world of aliens. Do this and we keep all of them safe, the world safe. Do this for me,” he glanced out the window to the lone figure standing at the grave, “and I may let you return to your little reporter.”

Lena took a deep breath and straightened in her seat. Right then she promised herself that she would do everything in her power to put a stop to her brother. She would get back to Kara. “I’ll do it.”

Lex smiled at her. “That’s my girl.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've enjoyed talking with some of you over on tumblr! If you don't want to leave any feedback here you can contact me there: nevertobeships

“She has a different agenda than our own,” Massey stated. Lex continued typing on his computer, barely raising his eyes in acknowledgment of Massey’s words. “Hendricks says she’s not helping them with the Caeneus problem.”

Lex sighed. “And what do you and Hendricks suppose she is doing instead? Hmmm?” He rose from his chair and went to the bay of windows overlooking the laboratory. Toward the middle of the room, Lena was sat at tech station hunched over notes and a large textbook, occasionally looking up at a computer screen to verify information. Lex smiled at the sight. It reminded him of the times he had come home from college to find Lena in the library with books spread across their father’s large desk. It was a comforting sight as if everything had fallen back into place. This is what he had always imagined: the two of the working together, leading the world in innovation technology, making their parents proud. But he had already learned the hard lessons of being sentimental. Clark had seen to that. And despite finding comfort in Lena’s presence, he knew he should be on his guard. The floor managers had said that Lena had been putting in fifteen to eighteen hour days at her station so she was working on _something_. Lex stood there in silence for a few more moments, watching Lena’s every move. Finally, he said, “Tell Hendricks I’ll start keeping a closer eye on her.” He paused here for a moment, weighing his words carefully. “Tell him that also means my eyes will be on him and that it would be in his best interest to stop lusting after my sister.”

************************************************************************************

“Lena.” Lex stood at one end of her station. He watched as she started, nearly dropping the computer drive she was pouring over. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I forgot that you scare easily when you are working.”

“It’s fine. I just didn’t hear you approach,” she said calmly although her eyes only oozed distrust. She went back to the drive and attempted to ignore him. “I’m having some problems with this and I need to focus.”

Lex grabbed a stool from nearby and rolled it around the station to sit next to Lena. He sat and watched her a few moments, jostling his knee up and down as he did so. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about all of this.”

This time Lena did drop the driver. “What?!” She pushed her own chair back and stared at him incredulously. “You kidnap me, you’re holding me hostage in this place, and you’re sorry?”

“I keep going over everything that has happened since that…that night,” he said, referring to him and Clark’s fight. “Wondering what I should have done differently. But I was angry and out of control. I only wanted to protect our family. And the rest of the world, but mostly you and mother…” He shrugged, “Anyway, I’m sorry for that and this, of course. There was no other way to get you here, right? You would have never come to me had I simply asked you to?”

She stared off into space and for the first time since the funeral, she seemed to lose her composure. “No,” she replied sadly. She didn’t know if the sadness of this admission stemmed more from the part of her that still believed that she could have saved him that night, leaving their relationship and trust intact, or at the thought that she, his only remaining free relative, would have turned him down. She reached out and placed her hand on his leg and felt it still instantly under her fingers.

He smiled at her. “Sorry, I forgot that bothered you so much. I guess in that regard you are more the Luthor than me.”

Lena laughed and the sound surprised her. “Because I’m cold, still, and so serious?”

“And I’m, what did you once call me, a human version of one of those chattering teeth toys?”

She laughed again. “Yes. Constantly bouncing around and making noise. It still amazes me that mother didn’t smother that out of you.”

“Not for a lack of trying,” Lex smiled sadly.

The two siblings sat in silence, sharing the feel of familial guilt.

“Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to work. Let me know if you need anything.” Lex stood and gently rolled his stool back to its proper place.

Lena picked up the drive again but watched Lex’s retreating form make its way across the laboratory, a new ache in her heart.

************************************************************************************

_At breakfast, all of the children to be adopted that day were informed of their new family name and told to pack what little things they owned. While they all waited for the bus that was to take them to the reception center where they would meet their new families, the chosen children would tell each other their new names. It was a major moment in their lives. Because so many of them were merely dropped off at the doorstep of the orphanage, they had grown up only with the names the nurses had given them. Lena was actually one of the few who still had a first name her parents had given her, only because she was much older than the infants that were so often dropped off and therefore she knew her own name. But she had never known her last name. Sometimes she would try the names she heard announced to the adopted kids to see what it would be like to have a full name. Lena McLaughlin, Lena Smith, Lena Williams, or Lena De Rosa. She wondered what it would be like to belong – belong to someone, belong to a family. What would it feel like to be whole?_

_Lena had at first been intrigued by this adoption ritual that occurred every Saturday. She would often join the other children that were left behind at the third story window and watch as the chosen ones were bussed away to new lives. The other children would then spend the rest of the day imagining the grand places their counterparts had gone off to but Lena never let herself give into these dreams. She had been told how unwanted she was enough times in her short life at five years old to not expect much from the world. So rather than join the others in their childish dreaming, Lena instead put her nose into every book she could get her hands on and stayed within her own mind._

_Saturday after Saturday passed. More children came and went. Lena eventually stopped paying attention to their names because before long they were gone. She isolated herself further, the hopefulness of the others only fueling her annoyance at the world. Perhaps it was this air about her that kept people from adopting her. Whenever the nurse brought in a new couple they were always first attracted to her. She had been told several times how pretty she was with her pale skin, dark hair, and brilliant green eyes. Once, one of the husbands had commented on how she looked like a miniature Snow White. But her lecturing to him about how she was not stupid enough to eat an apple from a stranger had turned the couple from her and earned her a punishment from one of the nurses._

_‘You are so cold, Lena. And too smart for your own good. You will never be chosen,’ said the nurse who punished her._

_This was her life for two years. Every week a dozen or so couples would show interest in Lena and every week a dozen or so other children were whisked away on the bus. She endured the other children’s teasing of her, of how no one ever wanted her. She sat by herself in the cafeteria and isolated herself any time they were allowed to go outside. She also learned to keep her few possessions, mainly her notebooks and pens, with her as the other children had taken to destroying them if she ever left them out in the open._

_That was until Lionel came along on that chilly Friday morning._

_Lena was in her usual corner, reading an astrophysics book she had gotten at the library down the block when Lionel had approached her._

_‘That’s pretty advanced stuff, kid.’ He sat down on the end of her bed, across from her chair and small night stand. His accent was different and he smelled of what she would later learn were his exotic cigars. She looked up from her book and took in the sight of him, dressed immaculately in a dark business suit. He was unlike any of the other men who came to the orphanage._

_She arched her eyebrow, a mannerism that she had learned scared most people off so she could be left in peace. But the man only smirked and raised his own eyebrow back at her._

_She regarded him for a moment before replying. ‘Not too advanced for me. Though there are some things I don’t know. But I write them down,’ she held up a small notebook at her side, ‘and then look those things up during our visits to the library so that I learn them too.’_

_‘Good for you. Do you like other topics or just the sciences?’ His dark brown eyes were soft and comforting._

_‘I love everything. History, art, mathematics, languages – though I haven’t learned any of those yet.’ To her own surprise, she told him about all the books she had already studied, how she could do every math problem in one of the old math textbooks left by a previous orphan._

_They sat and talked for nearly an hour. She told him more of her independent studies and he told her of his wife, Lillian, and his twelve-year-old son, Lex. For the first time, Lena enjoyed a conversation with a visitor because Lionel was the only person who wasn’t scared of her intelligence and didn’t seem to care about her coldness. When the nurse came over, announcing that Mr. Luthor had received a telephone call, Lena was sad. She realized that at some point during the conversation hope had started to bloom within her._

_That night was one of her worst in the orphanage. She tossed and turned, wondering if Lionel would be back the next day for her. Their interaction had ended so abruptly she was unsure if he had had time to make arrangements for her. That is – if he wanted her. And it was this ‘if’ that knotted Lena’s stomach._

_Saturday morning breakfast passed and her name was not called as one of the chosen ones. Another Saturday gone. She watched from the third-floor window as the bus pulled out of the drive, the knot in her stomach returning. She chastised herself for ever getting her hopes up and returned to her book, angry at the single tear that leaked from the corner of her eye._

_‘Lena?’ Lena raised her eyes at her name and found Lionel standing in the middle of the room, his hand outstretched toward her. As she approached him, cautiously wondering if this was a joke, he asked her, ‘Would you like to come home with me?’_

_She felt her heart soar and beamed up at him. She quickly grabbed her small duffle and packed what few clothes she had and her notebooks and pens inside of it. Only briefly did she pine for the library books she would be leaving behind. After several signatures and a handshake with the director of the orphanage, Lionel led Lena from the building to the most elegant black car she had ever seen. A man in a uniform, just as sharp as the car, tipped his hat and opened the door for her._

_‘Good day, Miss Luthor.’_

_Luthor. Lena Luthor. She smiled and this time the knot in her stomach was of excitement._

************************************************************************************

_Lena and Kara had been together nearly six months, intimate for four. It was not that Lena did not enjoy their lovemaking – she did to a degree that was unhealthy for her work life. It was increasingly more difficult to leave Kara’s arms in the morning and to resist the urge to cancel her early evening meetings to rush home to the bubbly reporter who could somehow reduce Lena to a puddle with one smile. No, Lena very much enjoyed their intimate hours together. But at times she felt herself longing for just a bit more. She wished Kara would truly pin her wrists down as the blonde kissed her way down Lena’s stomach, rather than tenderly placing them against the mattress. She wished that Kara would take her against the door, on the counter or table instead of pulling away and leading them to the bedroom. Lena wished that when other women and men hit on her when they were out at a bar or club that Kara would show some emotion about the situation. Lena wanted Kara to take the lead just once._

_They had been at a party, one where the attendees all had several zeros behind each paycheck and each business deal. Very pretentious and very boring. But Lena’s presence was expected. A former classmate (and ex-girlfriend) of Lena’s, whom she hadn’t seen in years, was there, newly moved to National City. Lena introduced her to Kara and spent much of the evening catching up and discussing a potential merger. She had no idea at the time the effect this conversation had on Kara, oblivious to the jealousy building in the blonde. As they left, Kara was cold, barely mumbling as people shook her hand goodbye and ignoring the coat attendant as he tried to graciously assist her with her jacket._

_‘Kara, are you alright?’_

_Lena received only a glare._

_Once home, Kara immediately went to the bar, pouring herself a double of the liquid that Lena had been told was forbidden to humans. Lena tried once more, asking Kara if something was wrong. But the silence she got irritated her to no end and she angrily sighed as she walked to the bedroom. They were obviously going to have an argument and Lena preferred to do so in comfortable clothes rather than the tight dress she currently had on._

_Lena sat on the edge of the bed as she begun to shed the night’s attire, first removing her heels then moving on to her jewelry. As she fumbled with the clip on her bracelet, she noticed Kara standing in the doorway._

_‘Are you going to speak to me now?’ Lena asked a little cooler than she had intended. Receiving no answer, she crossed to her jewelry armoire where she careful placed all of the pieces in their respective places. She felt Kara’s eyes on her the entire time. She walked over to Kara and presented her back, ‘Will you please unzip me?’_

_Nothing._

_Lena angrily spat over her shoulder. ‘Jesus Christ, Kara! What is your deal?’_

_‘I don’t like you talking with that woman.’ It was low and dangerous. Kara reached up and pulled the zipper down enough where Lena could finish the job._

_Lena walked from the door, ridding herself of the dress which she hastily threw on to the chair in the corner. ‘Why? Because she was once my girlfriend? Because we might work together? Because she –’_

_‘Because she’s fucked you.’_

_Lena spun, alarmed at Kara’s words, coming brutally face-to-face with the blonde who she had not realized had followed her deeper into the room. Kara had never, not even in the climaxes of their lovemaking, uttered that word. Lena was shocked. And so aroused. She sat back on the bed, distrustful of her legs to keep her up under the intense stare of her lover. ‘Kara…’_

_‘I hate that she’s had you,’ Kara growled, ‘I hate that anyone else has had you but me.’ Her face was so dark, filled with a possessive lust._

_Lena moaned. She backed her way further up the bed, her stomach flipping at the sight of Kara inching toward her as she did so, keeping them close. ‘Why?’ Lena asked._

_Kara’s eyes roamed every inch of Lena’s body and Lena wasn’t sure if she was grateful or if she regretted that she still had her bra and underwear on. It was so unlike Kara, so predatory and hungry. Lena knew the answer to her question, she could see it etched in Kara’s face, see it radiate out of those blue eyes. And Lena loved it, craved it._

_‘Say it,’ Lena begged. Her body was already aching, trembling with need. She could not prevent the deep red blush spreading across her face and chest at the thought of the answer, an answer she needed to hear so badly. ‘Oh fuck, Kara. Please…say it.’_

_Kara climbed on top of her form, making sure their bodies did not touch. And the response Lena received, Kara’s voice so deep and raw, was enough to make Lena come. ‘Because you are mine.’_

************************************************************************************

_‘It’s going to be okay, I promise.’ Lex kissed her forehead and then pulled her in for a tight hug._

_‘Why are they so mean?!’ She was only two days into middle school and she hated it. The other girls had developed a habit of sneering at her every time she answered one of the teacher’s questions correctly and they were already at an unbearable level._

_‘Because you are a Luthor,’ He pushed her shoulders back and took her face in his hands, gently wiping her tears away. ‘You are smart and beautiful. You are one day going to help me lead Luthor Corp, help me lead the world. They are always going to be jealous of you because of that. You are a Luthor and everybody will always be gunning for you. So you have to be strong. Don’t let them matter to you.’_

************************************************************************************

_‘THIS IS MY GIRLFRIEND!!!!!’ Kara stood on top of the table, knocking several drinks over._

_‘Kara! Get down now!’ Lena grabbed each of Kara’s legs trying to prevent the blonde from falling in her drunken state. She looked to Alex, Maggie, and Winn for assistance but they were just as drunk as Kara and had lapsed into fits of laughter at the sight of Kara on top of the table._

_‘NO! Not until everyone in the world knows that this…’ she pointed down at Lena and looked around the room, ‘this woman who is the smartest, bestest, beautifulest person ever is MY girlfriend. That’s right,’ she screamed at the guy walking by their table, ‘my girlfriend and I love her.’_

_Now Lena couldn’t help her own giggling._

************************************************************************************

_‘Don’t forget: you are a Luthor. You are expected to represent this family in no other manner other than greatness,’ Lillian warned._

_‘I know, mother.’_

************************************************************************************

_‘I can’t wait for you to be my wife,’ Kara said as she dragged her nails up and down Lena’s exposed back._

_Lena slid her hand out from under her pillow and caressed Kara’s face, smiling at the sight of the recently placed engagement ring on her finger._

_‘And I can’t wait for you to be mine.’_

************************************************************************************

_Lena’s hand shook slightly as she took the pen from the lawyer. She looked up at the room, filled with Luthor Corp board members, assistants, various lawyers, and, of course, Lionel and Lex. Why couldn’t she have a normal eighteenth birthday like everyone else? She took a deep breath and signed the document confidently. The room burst into applause as the lawyer took the pen and Lena stood from her seat._

_‘Lena, this is one of the proudest moments of my life.’ Lionel said as he brought both his children into his embrace. He then stepped back and took a flute of champagne from the waiter and raised it up. The rest of the room followed suit. ‘To Lena, our new board member and heir of Luthor Corp: the Luthor name has never looked brighter.’_

_‘To Lena!’_

************************************************************************************

_‘To Lena,’ Alex raised her beer as the room fell silent. ‘I know you and I have had our differences but I am so happy that you are not only in Kara’s life but also in all of our lives.’ Lena watched as every person in the room nodded in agreement. ‘You make my sister happier than anything and I am personally so grateful to have another amazing sister in my life. Welcome to the Danvers family.’_

************************************************************************************

Lena ripped her blankets off her body and smashed her palms to her eyes, desperately trying to keep the tears from falling and to stop the memories that were flooding her thoughts. She felt like her heart was in a million pieces. Who was she? A Luthor? Lex’s sister? CEO of her father’s legacy? Kara’s fiancée? A Danvers? Why couldn’t she have it all?

************************************************************************************

“So what’s the verdict?” Massey asked.

“She is working on Caeneus. I’ve gone through all of her work, the history on the computers, everything. Hendricks is off-base.” Lex leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. “But…but.” He twirled in his chair and finally stood in frustration. “Go ahead and start the backup plan. Just in case.”

************************************************************************************

The argument started when Alex marched over and took the drink out of her hand. Kara threw herself back against the booth and sighed in frustration as her sister listed the alien drinks that Kara had already consumed according to the bartender: two doubles of Htrae whiskey, an entire bottle of Dyrlian wine, and at least six shots of some purple substance that smelled like gasoline from Valeron.

“Congratulations on your investigative skills. Now give it back, Alex,” Kara demanded with difficulty, her words slurred together.

“No. You’re not going to sit here and drink yourself to death.” Alex put the drink on the tray of a passing waitress and sat down in the booth across from Kara. The alien bar was packed tonight and she didn’t want to cause a scene but she needed to get a handle on the blonde.

“You said to get out of the house,” Kara waved dramatically to the bar around them, “so here I am.”

“And you know that this is not what I meant.” They sat in silence for a few moments before Alex’s phone rang. “I have to get back to the DEO,” she announced as she hung up. “Let’s get you a cab; you can stay with Maggie and me.”

“No, I want to go home.” Kara stood from the booth, nearly stumbling to the floor in the process.

“I don’t want you sitting in that apartment all by yourself. You can go back and hang with Maggie until I am done.”

Kara attempted to stand straightly and defiantly, “Make me.”

Alex grabbed Kara’s arms and brought them behind her back as if she was going to put her sister in handcuffs. She then marched Kara through the bar and out into the chilly night. “You are no match for me without your powers, Kara. Especially when you are drunk.”

Outside of the bar, Alex propped Kara up against the wall and raised her hand at the taxi coming down the street. She gripped the back of Kara’s jacket to ensure that her sister didn’t fall as the taxi pulled to the curb. Once she halfway got Kara settled in the back seat, Alex looked at the taxi driver. “Take her straight to this address. Do not let her talk you into dropping her off at any other place,” she instructed. She handed him enough to cover the ride and to provide a generous tip, one that she hoped would make him follow her instructions.

Kara huffed and rolled her eyes as she sat back against the seat.

“I’ll be home in a little bit. Maggie is expecting you – please do everything she says.” Alex tried to smooth Kara’s hair down but the blonde jerked away.

“Whatever, Alex. Bye, have fun saving the world.” Kara shooed Alex away with her hand and slammed the door shut. She laid her head against the cold window in defeat.

Alex stood on the sidewalk and watched the taxi slowly pull down the street. As she turned to go back into the bar to pay Kara’s tab, she noticed the taxi stop as it finished rounding the corner a block and a half down, its tail lights barely visible around the corner building.

“God damn it, Kara!” Alex jogged to the end of the street and as more of the taxi came into view she started yelling. “I swear to God, Kara, if you don’t get your ass back in that cab…”

The explosion knocked Alex to the street. She landed hard on all fours, face down, stunned for a second, then immediately aware of the heat and debris falling around her. The taxi had flipped in a violent somersault and landed on its top on the other side of the street. It was a bright fireball with roaring flames pouring outward. Two more cars on the street caught fire and as Alex tried to back up, the heat unbearable, she tripped over the remnants of a tire. Her head hit the pavement with a sickening crack. The last thing she remembered were the panicked voices of the people spilling from the bar and the surrounding buildings and being pulled away from what was left of the taxi.

************************************************************************************

There was a face above her. It was dark, backlit by the bright medical lamp above where she was laying. As her eyes adjusted, Maggie with her sweet smile came into focus. Alex attempted a smile but flashes of a burning car only came to mind. A strangled cry came out and she tried to sit up.

“Easy, Dr. Danvers, easy. You hit your head pretty hard so let’s not do anything too quickly.” A man in blue scrubs was standing opposite Maggie, both of whom tried to push Alex back into a laying position.

“I’m Dr. Lanigan. Please follow my finger,” the man instructed as he passed his index finger back and forth in front of her face. Alex took a deep breath and tried to comply with his request though it was difficult as tears blocked her vision. As he finished he looked over at Maggie. “We’ll get her something for the headache, and she should stay a couple of hours under observation. But she’ll be just fine.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Maggie watched as Dr. Lanigan walked from Alex’s bed over to the nurse’s station. She looked back at Alex, her face full of worry.

Alex’s mouth was dry and raw but she had to know what had happened. “Kara –” Before she could get Kara’s full name out Maggie roughly covered her mouth and nose with her hand effectively silencing her. Maggie brought her other hand up to her face, now full of intensity and seriousness, and placed her index finger in front of her pursed lips. She looked over her shoulder at the hospital staff fretting around in the ER before stepping back from Alex to close the curtains in an effort to give them privacy.

Alex watched, confused at her girlfriend’s actions. She couldn’t help the tears that were falling from her eyes at the thought of Kara but she kept her silence as instructed.

Maggie came back to Alex and sat on the doctor’s stool at the side of the bed. She draped one arm over Alex, as if she was trying to hug her, and placed her mouth at Alex’s ear.

“My guy in forensics says there were no remains in the wreckage. Kara wasn’t in the car,” she whispered. “Something’s not right, Alex. Someone higher up is calling the shots on this investigation and most of the NCPD is being shut out. And I think we are being watched here.”

Maggie pulled back from Alex. Their eyes met in understanding just before Dr. Lanigan came back into the space. Maggie’s face went back to that of a concerned girlfriend and Alex let her tears continue to fall despite her brain trying to sift through the hundreds of scenarios that could have led them to this point.


	5. Chapter 5

Riding in Maggie’s car, Alex stared out the window, breathing deeply. She felt as though she couldn’t quite catch her breath no matter how fully she filled her lungs. She had been badly unnerved by the previous night’s events, especially her conversation with Maggie in the ER. Once home, she had planned to drill Maggie about what had been said, the information about the accident, but she had barely made it to the couch before passing out.

Alex was extremely distressed by what Maggie had said about not finding Kara. Although, her and the DEO had done extensive research on the parameters of Kara’s powers, Alex was unsure how susceptible Kara’s recent loss of powers would make her to mortal threats. She had hypothesized over the last few days that Kara had not really lost her powers, that her sister was merely experiencing a sort of mental block. Kara could bleed – that was evident from the night Kara had demanded that Alex punch her. And Kara was having trouble flying, although during one argument between the two sisters Kara had floated a few feet above the floor in her fit of rage. Alex sighed. They had had so many arguments the last two years. Kara revealing herself to the world, Alex working at the DEO, Lena – God they had had so many fights about Lena. But Alex had eventually come around; she had finally taken notice of how happy Kara and Lena made one another. And she was grateful that Lena was in Kara’s life. Lena provided Kara yet another layer of protection because who in their right mind would want to fight Lena Luthor – save for Lillian and Lex. But both of them were behind bars. Kara and Lena had been living happily ever since Lillian’s imprisonment and Kara and Alex’s relationship had returned to its normal, content state.

With Lena’s death, however, their arguments had started again. Alex had been trying desperately to get Kara back into the world but Kara was determined to thwart her every attempt. Alex couldn’t imagine losing a fiancée. Just the thought of losing Maggie made her physically sick. So she tried to give Kara space to deal with the grief while still providing support. But Alex knew the way Kara had taken to grieving was not healthy, mentally or physically. She was confident that the blonde’s coping strategies were blocking her powers on some unconscious level. Kara’s powers were intact but suppressed by grief.

“Alex?”

Alex looked over at Maggie, realizing the car was parked at the DEO and that Maggie had already started to get out. As she followed Maggie into the DEO, she repeated the only thing that had gotten her through her ER visit: _Kara is alive_. They took the elevator from the underground parking garage to the main lobby. As they crossed the lobby, several of the agents stopped and gave their condolences to Alex for her loss. Although she outwardly thanked them, she said her mantra louder internally. _Kara is alive_. _Kara is alive_. _Kara is alive_.

They made their way left, down a long hallway to the director’s private office and attached conference room. Standing at the entrance of the conference room, Alex saw J’onn pouring over a National City map that had various colored lines and pins. Winn and Vasquez were typing away on a temporary computer station that had been set up at one end of the black glass table. James was pacing the room, flipping through pictures of the explosion scene.

“What does that mean?” Winn asked, looking up at J’onn.

J’onn turned from the map. “Kara was this taxi’s first pick up of the night. Its GPS tracking shows that it left the central hub and went straight to the bar.”

Vasquez stood. “How would someone in the bar know that Agent Danvers would put Kara in a taxi. Why _did_ she put Kara in the taxi in the first place?”

“Because you called me.” Alex stated, looking at J’onn. The whole room raised their eyes to her and Maggie. “I knew Kara wouldn’t want to come here with me and I didn’t want her by herself. That’s why I was putting her in the taxi to Maggie.”

For nearly three hours they discussed, debated, and fought about the night before. The room was littered with empty cups and food wrappers, piles of blueprints and pictures were scattered on every level surface. Was the explosive device already in the taxi? If so, how did they know Kara would be in the taxi? Was Kara even the intended target? Or was Supergirl the target? Could this have been some horrible coincidence? Alex had only left the room once to consult Clark and their conversation had Alex believing even more firmly that Kara still had her powers and therefore would have survived the explosion if she had still been in the taxi. But Maggie received further information from her confidant at NCPD and it was clear that no one, not even the driver, was in the taxi when it exploded. So where was Kara? Who was the driver and where was he? Was he in on it? From what they could tell of Winn’s hacking of the city’s Department of Transportation, no driver from the registry was missing or injured.

Eventually, J’onn and James decided to check out the actual scene of the explosion themselves. Winn retired to the lab to see if he could find anything in what pieces of the wreckage the DEO was able to smuggle from NCPD, courtesy of Maggie’s inside contacts. This left Alex, Maggie, and Vasquez to continue their investigation inside the conference room.

“What are these from?” Vasquez flipped through a set of pictures from a red file folder that she had dug out from underneath the pile of the other materials that littered the table.

“They must be more pictures from last night.” Maggie stated barely glancing at what was in Vasquez’s hands.

“No this has to be a different accident.” Vasquez pulled one photo from the pile that showed the rear end of a black car with no apparent damage. “It’s daylight in these pictures. And this picture,” she singled out one from the rest, “is of a black car that doesn’t have a lot of damage. The taxi and all of the surrounding cars were completely burnt out last night.”

“Let me see those.” Maggie took the pictures from Vasquez and flipped through them. She quickly grabbed her bag and pulled out an identical red file folder. “Sorry, that was the wrong file. These are from last night.” She handed Vasquez the correct stack and attempted to put the other pictures back into their own file when Alex stopped her.

“Then what are these from?”

Maggie paused briefly and then admitted, “Lena’s accident.”

“Why do you have–”

“I know what type of explosive– Sorry!” Winn barreled right into Alex as he ran back into the conference room. Alex, still sore and unsteady from the night before, dropped the pictures of Lena’s accident. Vasquez, in her attempt to catch Alex, lost hold of the pictures of the taxi explosion. “Oh shit, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Alex groaned, steadying herself between Vasquez and Maggie. Alex took a deep breath as they maneuvered her to a chair. Once sat, she asked, “What’d you find?”

“It was pretty much your standard explosive mix, nothing out of the ordinary unfortunately. However, there was a small amount of–”

“Agent Danvers, look at this.” Vasquez, who had knelt down with Maggie to pick up all the pictures, held two pictures in her hands. “This man right here,” she pointed to a white, middle-aged male standing behind the police tape at the taxi explosion as she handed the picture to Alex, “was also at the scene of Ms. Luthor’s accident.” She handed Alex the other picture. Sure enough the same man was standing in the background of that scene as well.

“That’s odd.” Alex examined the pictures closer. “Maggie, is he one of the undercovers or a plain clothes officer?”

Maggie took the pictures and studied them for herself. “No. I mean, I don’t think so. I’ve never seen this guy.”

“Why do you have pictures of Lena’s accident, Maggie?” Alex finally asked.

Maggie stood from the mess on the floor. She shifted her weight from one leg to the next contemplating her response. “Kara wanted them and I told her I’d get them for her.” She paused here and finally let her eyes meet Alex’s. “I know, I know. Probably not the best idea. But I thought maybe it would help Kara grieve. You know, see first-hand the wreck. Like maybe it might help her accept what happened.”

“When did Kara ask you for these?” Alex’s voice was soft. She wasn’t mad at Maggie but she could understand Maggie’s nervousness. She did tend to overreact when it came to anything about Kara.

“About a week ago. I only just got my hands on them this morning when we stopped and picked up the pictures from last night.”

Alex let this sink in. They had so little information to go on about the explosion the night before. Most of what they did have was Alex’s testimony and with the pounding in her head Alex knew she wasn’t the most reliable witness. Her memory from the previous night was still fuzzy with pieces missing. From what they could all tell, this was a standard car bombing – well as standard as car bombings go. And Winn had just been confirming that with his analyses. The only exception, of course, was the fact that National City’s own hero had been a passenger in the taxi. Did someone know that Kara Danvers was Supergirl and this was an attack on the hero? Had one of Kara’s articles in CatCo magazine angered someone to the point of attacking the reporter? But Kara hadn’t been to CatCo in weeks. Alex groaned as her mind circled back to the same thoughts she was having earlier. There were too many possible angles. If this attack was on Supergirl then they should look at potential alien involvement. If this attack was on Kara Danvers then they needed to look into her work at CatCo. Or…Alex picked up the two pictures of the unidentified man that Maggie had set aside as she finished helping Vasquez clean up the mess of pictures. She had since trained herself to stop automatically linking the name Luthor with anything bad that happened but she felt a nag somewhere deep inside her brain. Could the attack on Kara be because she had been about to marry Lena? Perhaps this was an attempt by someone to get Lena’s wealth which had been inherited by Kara on Lena’s death. Technically Lena’s majority share of L-Corp had passed to Kara too. Lena’s closest ally at L-Corp, Patrick Rogers, had taken to running things after Lena’s death but the company itself had actually passed to Kara. Was this corporate espionage? What if Lena’s accident wasn’t actually an accident?

Alex marched to the panel of glass dry-erase boards that covered an entire wall of the room. She drew her thoughts out across the three middle boards, connecting ideas with different colored lines. She wrote names, places, evidence. She taped up pictures and maps in the thought network she had developed there on the glass. For the first time since the previous night she felt like her head was becoming clearer. She still did not know what happened to Kara but the organization of the possibilities soothed her somewhat. After ten minutes, she took a step back and admired her work. The work had spilled from the original three boards she had started on to the entire wall. As she capped the marker in her hand, she turned and looked at the others. Each of them had not said a word during her creation but now they stepped forward and began studying her work.

“Vasquez, I need you to check the possible Supergirl angles. What Fort Rozz criminals are still loose and do any of them have a particular reason to hate the House of El other than their imprisonment. Although the taxi explosion appears standard check for any possible alien involvement – it did happen in front of the bar.” Vasquez nodded and immediately set to work at the computer station. “We’ll have James check things out at CatCo. Was there any blackmail about one of Kara’s articles? Did she uncover something in one of her investigations that she wasn’t supposed to? He’ll need to go through all of her notes and files.” Alex began pacing the room now, her confidence growing. “Maggie, I need you and Winn to help me investigate Lena’s accident. Pull all the footage from the accident, from L-Corp, and their apartment’s parking garage. And I want to know,” she pointed at the man from the accident and explosion scenes, “who this is.”

************************************************************************************

Lex led her down a broad concrete ramp that was large enough to fit an entire presidential motorcade. At the bottom of the ramp was a pair of heavy metal doors much thicker and much more menacing than the metal doors she had become accustomed to upstairs. Lena saw a series of cameras mounted along the ceiling of the ramp, acutely aware that she was always being watched even when she was with Lex. At the bottom of the ramp, Lex pressed his hand to a security display to the right of the set of doors and then looked up into one of the cameras.

The doors opened.

Lena followed him through a small room just beyond the doors that clanged loudly as they slammed behind them. Up ahead, she saw another set of doors, this time made of glass, to what appeared to be an ordinary laboratory, one much smaller than the massive one she had been working since her time at the compound. As they entered this laboratory, Lex turned and smiled at her. “Let’s get to the reveal!”

Lena stepped into the room and saw a machine –her machine– the one she had spent the last weeks designing, on the center of the lab table. “You took my design,” she said more in annoyance of her surprise at Lex’s act than as an accusation towards him. The machine was exactly how she had imagined it, how she had designed it. It even included the modifications that she had made on it, some of which she had only just made yesterday.

“I know you, Lena. You are a perfectionist and you would have kept working on this design for another two weeks if I just sat by. I’ve been taking your work and building and updating as you designed.”

“You could have told me.”

“And miss out on this surprise?! No, no, no, this way is better.” Lex kissed the side of her head and walked to the table. “So what do you think? Did we build it right?”

Lena let her fingers caress the cold, smooth metal of the machine in front of her. She couldn’t help the soft smile that pulled at her lips. It had been a long time since she had created something, used her brains to develop and invent. She loved tackling the unknown, finding solutions, smashing through challenges. It had been too long since she had had a chance to do this.

“You always were a natural.” Lex’s voice brought her out of her mind. “Do you ever miss it? Doing the work rather than overseeing it?”

“Yes. I was actually thinking that,” she admitted. “You forget what it’s like when you are isolated on the top floor or in a board room.”

“But you were better than me at the management stuff. I think that is why father brought you into the fold so early. He knew you’d run Luthor Corp better than me.”

“Well he was right.” Her voice was cold, alluding to the short years that Lex was in charge – Luthor Corp’s dark era as she called it.

“Mmmmm. Touché, Lena.” Lex walked around the laboratory table and pulled a heavy case out from underneath it. “Let’s leave the past as the past for now, shall we? Why don’t we test this out and see if you are as brilliant as I know you are.”

Lena watched as Lex broke the case’s seal. For the first time, her eyes fell on Caeneus. It was glassy black, much like a volcanic rock, with deep blue veins winding over its uneven edges. The blue was as pure as Kara’s eyes, popping brilliantly from the black around it.

************************************************************************************

_Blue eyes met her own and the world stopped. Luckily keeping her composure in unexpected situations had become a well-developed habit for Lena Luthor._

_“And who are you exactly?”_

_“I’m Kara Danvers. I’m not with the Daily Planet. I’m with CatCo magazine. Sort of.”_

_Lena found it hard not to lose herself in those blues eyes. Although she could answer Clark Kent’s questions she could not bring herself to break eye contact with the fidgeting blonde in front of her. She found comfort in those blue eyes, a comfort she had never experienced before._

_‘I’m just a woman trying to make a name for herself outside of her family. Can you understand that?’_

_‘Yeah.’ Kara eyes shined and for the first time Lena felt like someone finally did understand._

_The impression those blue eyes had somehow managed to burn onto Lena’s own retinas, even after the reporter had left, was haunting. In her world of black and white, sharp modern lines of steel, with the occasional splash of red, Kara’s blue eyes brought a hint of peacefulness. Over the next several months she found that falling in love with Kara may have felt like a rollercoaster right before it breached its first apex, but being loved by Kara was much more soothing, like sinking into a bed with soft covers. And these feelings washed over her every time she looked into those blue eyes._

_‘Sweetheart, we don’t have to do this now.’ Lena was just as surprised as Kara that they found themselves standing at the foot of Kara’s bed. For the first time, Lena noted the hue of innocence and vulnerability in Kara’s eyes. In the two months they had officially been dating, they had progressed from occasional kisses and soft caresses during movie nights to the movies being completely forgotten in favor of deep and passionate kisses that left them both breathless and flustered. Despite this heated progress, they had never discussed taking things further and this lack of discussion hung between the two of them like an invisible wall._

_‘I want this, Lena. I mean, only if you do too.’ Although her literal words had an ounce of doubt, Lena saw confidence in the blue depths. She could hear it in the strength and certainty of Kara’s voice. ‘I do want this. I want you.’_

_Their next kiss was infinitely more gentle and patient than the kisses that had led them to the bedroom. Lena knew that what romantic love Kara had known before was limited and brief. And she had picked up from their conversations on the subject that Kara’s previous partners had lacked the tenderness and feeling Kara truly deserved from an intimate partner. Lena wanted everything to be perfect and easy between them. She wanted to be Kara’s everything._

_As Kara pulled away from the kiss and backed herself on to the bed, the aching in Lena became even stronger. The feel of Kara’s fingertips pulling on her waist did nothing but spur this aching that had now started to churn. Lena let herself follow Kara’s pull until she hovered over the blonde. She held this position, some doubt still lingering, until Kara wrapped her arms around her neck and brought their lips back together. These next kisses were neither patient nor gentle but instead wet and insistent. Lena could no longer determine where one kiss ended and the next began. But when Lena pulled Kara’s thighs around her and ground her hips down into Kara’s, an attempt to alleviate some of the aching, it was Kara who tore their lips apart, ending the kisses. The sight of Kara’s head thrown back against the pillow and the moan that spilled from Kara’s mouth was nearly Lena’s undoing. Lena took the opportunity to press kisses and gentle bites to Kara’s exposed neck only stopping when her lips met the cloth barrier of Kara’s shirt collar. Kara moaned even more when Lena pulled the shirt over Kara’s head and tossed it somewhere on the floor, continuing her kisses and bites on to Kara’s chest. The rest of their clothes shortly followed suit._

_Fingertips and lips were tentative but still explored every inch of one another’s bodies, slowly teasing. It was a dance of irresistible taunting. Lena attempted to muster all the restraint she could as her own fingertips finally grazed through Kara’s folds and entered into her deep heat. But Lena did not have to restrain herself for very long. She was pleased when Kara’s hips rose to meet Lena’s hand, when Kara pleaded for more of Lena. And Lena was happy to give her lover everything she begged for. She was surprised and thrilled when Kara begged to let her touch Lena’s own body. Soon Lena’s own moans and pleas mixed with Kara’s. As they worked together for a joint pleasure, trying to fulfill the desire they had felt since they had met, Lena could not pull her eyes from Kara’s._

_They made love until the horizon was painted with dawn’s first colors. With their limbs entwined and their souls finally sated, Lena lazily watched the sunrise creep over Kara’s now sleeping form before letting sleep overcome her as well. When she woke later that afternoon it was to blue eyes gazing down at her. She sighed sleepily but contently as Kara ran her fingers through her dark locks. Lena couldn’t remember ever feeling as relaxed as she did that afternoon, laying there in Kara’s arms, green eyes locked on to blue. No words were said. No ‘I love you’ or ‘I want you to stay forever’. Only green eyes to blue eyes. When they finally managed to drag themselves from the bed, Lena felt like they had said more to one another in their silence through their eyes than either could have ever express with words._

************************************************************************************

She had done it.

Lena pushed up the protective goggles so they rested more comfortably on her face as she opened the metal door on the side of the machine. The door was warm under her touch, even through the material of the gloves, and it hissed as its air-tight seal was broken. There on the inside tray was the Caeneus, freshly split in two, the blue veins running all the way through the sample.  

 _“Oh shit,”_ she thought, tears building in her eyes.

Lex clapped his gloved hands together. “See! You are as brilliant as always!” He reached for a set of forceps and very carefully extracted the tray from the machine. He gently took one half of the Caeneus and placed it in a clear container, setting it aside. He then slid the tray with the remaining half back into the machine and typed the key sequence into the attached computer.

Lena heard the machine start up again as she slowly backed herself from the table. The back of her legs hit a stool and she resigned herself to it. She pulled the mask from her mouth and took a deep breath in disbelief. She never thought the machine would actually work. Her team at L-Corp had tried for nearly a month to break down the Caeneus and had been unsuccessful.

_“Shit, shit, shit.”_

Lex ran the Caeneus through the machine several more times. It appeared that the further Caenus was broken down, the softer it got. Lena watched as Lex took a bit of the element, no bigger than a pea, and crushed it between his fingers before putting the tray back into the machine again. Eventually, the tray was coated with a fine black powder, the blue lost in the blackness. She continued to watch as Lex funneled the powder into several glass tubes before setting out a new tray.

“Lena, my Lena.” He walked over to where she was sitting, pulling his own safety gear from his body. “I am so proud of you,” he said as he took her face in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead.

She didn’t say a word to him as she followed him back upstairs or when his team of researchers burst into applause as Lex delivered the Caeneus powder. She kept her silence as the entire room looked on while one of the researchers dissolved the powder into a sickly black liquid. Her throat closed up as she watched the researcher add a drop of the black liquid to a violent-colored green drop of liquidized Kryptonite. She was sure that the sound of her heart breaking was loud enough for them all to hear as the Kryptonite drop glowed brighter, so bright that the room would still stay lit even if they turned off the lights.

“Lena,” she looked at her brother at the sound of her name. They were now alone in a room much like the one she had been confined to at night. This room, however, had a dark window that took up much of one wall and below this window set a bank of computers, buttons, and switches. “It’s time for you to tell me. Who is Supergirl?”

The tears that had built at the brims of her eyes earlier finally fell. She shook her head and backed away from her brother. “No, no. I am never going to tell you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay between the last chapter and this one. The last two weeks have been brutal.


	6. Chapter 6

_Lena took in the sounds and the smells of the estate as she emerged from the limousine. She stood with her eyes closed and her face pointed at the setting sun, soaking in the last of its warmth. The air here was so still in the evening summer sun. It was peaceful and serene. The grounds of the estate were beautifully designed and, of course, perfectly manicured. Her mother saw to all of that. Because the estate itself was nearly two hundred and fifty years old now, the matured trees were towering and provided green canopies over the miles of pathways and lawns. This was Lena’s favorite place in the world. She had spent much of her post-adopted childhood exploring the grounds or lying under the trees while she studied and read. She knew every inch of the grounds better than anyone, even the groundskeepers who maintained it all to the Luthor standards._

_‘Welcome home, Miss Luthor.’ She opened her eyes and acknowledged the family’s butler, Anthony. He was old-fashioned despite being relatively young – her father’s age in fact. Anthony was discreet, very knowledgeable in how to run a household, and full of good manners and old German traditions. There was something so elegant yet so simple about his blondish gray hair and the suits he wore that always hung immaculately on his slender frame. Lena had always preferred lessons with Anthony rather than her mother because he taught her to appreciate the propriety of etiquette rather than pile on rules and regulations as Lillian often did._

_Despite being happy to see Anthony, Lena could not help the sigh of disappointment as she was escorted into the house. While the grounds were her favorite place on earth, the inside of the Luthor estate was her least favorite. She did enjoy her father’s library and had eventually made her room feel like her own when she stayed at the house, but the rest of the it was just so Lillian. It was dark, unfriendly, and cold. Lillian herself had selected all the staff – save for Anthony, who had been with her father since his college days – and the result was a slew of bleak individuals that reminded her of the unfriendly nurses at the orphanage. No matter where she was in the great house Lena felt as if Lillian was right around the next corner. Being inside the house now as an adult only brought memories of disappointment and despair, and it was a stark reminder of how unloved Lena was by Lillian. When she returned from college, she vowed to spend as little of her time in the house as possible. She had been successful at convincing her father to buy her an apartment in the city so that she could be closer to Luthor Corp but Lionel still required that Lena visit the estate once a month for a family dinner – a condition Lex was under as well. With both of his children by his side at Luthor Corp and all of them now living permanently in Metropolis, Lionel had become quite sentimental. Unfortunately these dinners too often led to mild arguments between Lionel and Lillian, mostly about Lena._

_At twenty years old, Lena was making quite a name for herself at Luthor Corp in both the research and design branch as well as upstairs in the boardroom. Unlike Lex who could spend days at a time in the lab, Lena had taken it on to herself to learn every aspect of the business and thus split her time in different roles. Lex playfully teased her that this was her way of showing him up even more than she had in college (she had graduated in two years with three degrees to his three years in college with one degree) but she knew that he had very little interest in the running of the business. Lionel had sensed this early on in Lex’s teenage years and therefore had groomed Lena to lead before she even had braces. Lionel’s increased interest in Lena had only fueled Lillian’s distaste for her adoptive daughter and it was Lena’s close work lately with her father in the day-to-day managing of Luthor Corp that started the argument during this family dinner._

_‘But surely Lex would be a better choice. He is your son after all. Luthor Corp should naturally be passed on to him when it’s time.’ Lillian smiled at Lex, and reached over to pat his hand. She often talked as if Lena was not sitting right in front of her or as if Lena could not understand the things that were being said._

_‘Mother, I don’t want to manage Luthor Corp,’ Lex snapped. He had been late to dinner, arriving during the second course, and they all could tell he was in a poor mood when he sat down at the table. Lena had noticed that lately he jumped quicker to anger during confrontations than he previously had. Lionel had been receiving reports almost daily now that Lex was verbally attacking the lab staff and had even punched one member. Lena was getting a glimpse of the HR nightmare Lex was becoming as she worked with her father and top staff. And Lex was not just suffering at work but also in his personal life. He had lost a decent amount of weight and he had not been overweight to begin with. He was also drinking more than ever. The most recent time he allowed Lena into his apartment she could not even make out the floor for every inch of the space had been covered in notes, drawings, and pictures of new tech ideas. Quarreling with his mother was the last sign that Lena needed to know that something was very wrong._

_Lionel placed his fork and knife gently on his plate and wiped his mouth, ever the gentleman. ‘Lena is more qualified, Lillian. She has a better business sense and more training. Lex’s talent is in the lab and that is what makes him happy. You should be grateful that our children make a perfect team. They complement one another quite well.’_

_Lena tried to hide her smile at her father’s words, knowing that any indication of pride would further irritate her mother. She quickly glanced at Lex, hoping that he took their father’s compliment to heart and that it would cheer him up a bit but she found that he was staring off into space, his brow knit in worry._

_Before dessert could be served, Lex announced that he needed to get back to the city. Usually on family dinner nights, they stayed in their old bedrooms and rode back into the city the next morning with Lionel. Lena was not sure if it was their parent’s bickering throughout the meal that had pushed him to his limit or if whatever else was bothering him had done it._

_‘Can I ride back with you?’ She quickly gathered her purse and her phone from the dining room side table leaving Lex little chance to turn her down._

_He huffed. ‘Yes but let’s go now.’ He left the dining room without any goodbyes to his parents. Lillian called after him but they heard his quick footsteps already down the hall._

_Lena kissed her father’s cheek and promised to meet him for lunch tomorrow. She also kissed her mother’s cheek in farewell though it was obviously more cold and out of duty rather than love. Lex already had the car started and out of park when she stepped out on to the drive. She barely had her door shut when he peeled toward the front gates._

_‘Okay you have to tell me what is wrong. You’ve been acting strange for weeks now.’ Lena quickly clicked her seat belt on and braced herself between her door and the center console of the car as Lex took a sharp turn out of the estate. ‘Are you trying to kill us?’_

_‘It’s nothing. I just need to get back to the lab.’_

_‘Lex, will you please slow down.’ She lightly gripped his arm. ‘Tell me what’s really wrong.’_

_He did not answer her for several minutes. Once he had pulled the car on to the freeway, he finally spoke. ‘What’s your opinion on aliens?’_

_Lena narrowed her eyes at him. It was a strange question and she wondered if it was a distraction tactic to get her off his case about what really was wrong with him. ‘I don’t understand your question.’_

_‘What is your opinion on aliens?’ He repeated himself as if he had not just asked her that exact question. But then he elaborated irritably. ‘Like, do you think they are good or bad? Do you think they should be allowed to be here?’_

_Lena weighed her answer silently. Her first instinct was to say they were bad. In the last few years, more and more aliens were coming out and the news reports of these aliens were nearly always negative. But Lena was unsure if her reaction was merely an availability heuristic or if they were her true feelings. ‘I’m not sure I can say one way or the other. We hear a great deal about the bad things they do but I am sure there are good aliens out there. I mean, look at Superman. He is good.’_

_Lex scoffed at this. ‘Superman is the worst of them all.’_

_Lena was quite taken aback by this. ‘That’s funny coming from someone who has become best friends with him.’ She had to brace herself again as Lex swerved the car in his effort to look at her._

_‘How did you know that?’_

_‘How else would Superman get our technology? I would hope you or your team would be filing reports if you thought he was stealing it.’ They sat in silence a few moments before Lena broached the subject again. ‘So does that mean that the two of you have had a falling out?’_

_‘You could say that.’ Lex’s voice was cold and bitter and Lena shuddered at how similar it was to Lillian’s. ‘Our difference in opinion on aliens has grown quite a bit.’_

_‘So you think aliens are bad?’_

_‘I do. Even Superman. He may help the city and he protects a lot of people but what happens in the event that the city is divided? What happens if at some point a line needs to be drawn? Whose side do you think he’ll choose?’_

_‘I think those are pretty extreme examples, Lex.’_

_‘Maybe. Maybe not. I think the time is coming where the human race is going to have to make a stand against aliens. And I don’t think he’ll be on our side.’_

_They rode in silence the remainder of the drive. At Luthor Corp, they each went their separate ways, Lex down to his labs and Lena to her office on the top floor, no other mention of their discussion in the car. In her office, Lena let Lex and her mother slip from her mind and set to work on the ever mounting paperwork. Lena preferred to work in the building late. The hustle of usual office day life made her crazy at times but at night she felt like she could think better in the darkness and silence._

_‘You really should be out with people your own age. Having fun, falling in love.’ Lionel’s voice startled her out of her work. She had not realized it but nearly two hours had passed since her and Lex had arrived. In those two hours she had accomplished more work than she had all day._

_‘And you should be home relaxing.’ She closed the file she had been working from and watched as her father inspected her view. He did this every time he was about to start a serious conversation with her. Lionel Luthor may have built one of the world’s most successful businesses and stood confidently at its helm, but a heart-to-heart with his daughter always brought out his uneasiness._

_‘I’m sorry that your mother doubts your abilities. It must be difficult for you to continually hear it.’_

_Lena swallowed hard. ‘I suppose she is right. Lex is your son, the real Luthor. He has more right to this business than I do.’_

_‘Lena, you are every bit my daughter as Lex is my son. You are a Lu–’_

_Before he could finish his sentence, the building’s alarms roared deafeningly. Lena quickly pulled up the system’s code on her computer and saw that the alarm was triggered from her brother’s suite of labs. ‘Lex.’ They both hurried from her office and down the stairs. Lena was thankful she had worn flats with her outfit as they circled flight after flight down toward the lab. At the glass lab doors, they could see the flames in the back, towards the loading bay entrance, but they were quickly fading, fluttering out as the overhead sprinklers did their job. Lena was quick to override the alarm to open the doors. As they entered the space, gunshots drew their attention to the other side of the room opposite of the fire. Lex was face-to-face with Superman and they saw Lex waving some sort of gun at the hero. Every shot he fired, a blur of green, was deflected by Superman’s heat vision._

_‘Lex stop!’ Superman yelled. The hero’s hands were outstretched in a gesture of surrender and his eyes were kind when they returned to their sapphire blue after every bullet was deflected._

_‘You can’t stop me! I won’t let you do it this time!’_

_Lena was startled at the rage she saw in Lex. His face was nearly purple and the veins in his neck strained tightly underneath his skin. His entire body was shaking. He was completely out of control._

_‘Alexander stop.’ Lionel’s voice was low but strong. Lex turned to his father and Lena cringed at the darkness she saw in his eyes. ‘Put the gun down. Please.’_

_‘I have to stop them. I have to stop all of them.’ Angry tears stained his face. He turned from his father and took a small canister from the table next to him. His eyes met Superman’s before he tossed the canister in the air. Lena watched in horror as it burst open at the hero’s feet and blue electric bolts encompassed Superman. The scream as Superman powers involuntarily triggered filled every inch of the space. He clapped his hands over his ears as he fell down to his knees while his heat vision seared a deep hole in the ceiling of the lab. Within seconds of the burst of power, his body slumped to the floor, weakened._

_The damaged ceiling started to crash down around them. A large beam smashed down in the middle of the room bringing with it more debris and the contents of the floor above them. Lena backed up further as another beam fell. She lost sight of Lionel and Lex as dust and smoke billowed throughout the room. Lena could only hear the crackle of the remaining flames and the trickle of water and concrete as it continued to spill from above._

_‘Dad?! Lex?!’_

_As some of the dust started to dissipated, Lena could see an arm underneath the debris. She moved several pieces of metal and concrete to uncover most of Lionel’s body but one of the giant beams had caught him mid-torso, pinning him to the floor. She tried, though she knew it was useless, to lift the beam but it did not budge at all._

_‘Let me…’_

_Lena looked up as Superman staggered to her side. She noticed the burn holes in his suit from the electric shocks and how his skin had grayed and was beaded with sweat. She scooted herself back toward Lionel’s head and tucked her arms underneath his shoulders. As Superman used what little strength he had to lift the beam, Lena pulled Lionel out from under it. The streak of blood his body left across the floor made her heart race. Lionel briefly opened his eyes as she laid him back against the floor and started to assess his injuries. He quickly took her hands in his and pulled her closer. She felt him clinging to her, almost like a toddler to a parent, and it was then that she knew. She knew that his injuries were too drastic. She held him close to her and tried to wipe the dust and blood from his face. After a brief moment, he took his last breath and died quietly in her arms._

_And then she heard Lex._

_‘SUPERMAN!!!!!’_

_Lena looked over to where Superman had propped himself up against an overturned desk. She could tell that every shallow breath he took pained him and it scared her that he looked so resigned. ‘Go! Please go!’ Lena pleaded as she heard Lex scream again._

_Superman took one more look at Lionel. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered, tears in his eyes as they met Lena’s. They heard Lex yell again and the sound of concrete and metal being thrown across the room._

_‘Go!’ Lena begged again. She watched as he painfully gathered himself and stumbled through the remaining flames and out the docking bay door. Lena turned her eyes back to her father. She brushed more of the dust and blood from his face as Lex emerged over a large pile of debris._

_Lex took in the sight of his father’s body and her tear-stained face. ‘Where is he?! Where is he, Lena?!’_

_Lena looked up into Lex’s face. She found crazed, irrational eyes staring back at her, her brother lost to this new madness. She was overcome with grief as the realization sunk in that she had just lost the only two people who cared for her, who had ever loved her._

************************************************************************************

Lex’s eyes were as black as the Caeneus liquid as he advanced toward her. “You will tell me,” his voice was low and dangerous, “and you will tell me right now.” But she shook her head in defiance. “Fine,” he growled. “Have it your way.” Before she could take another step back from him, Lex fiercely grabbed her. She felt searing pain as he dragged her by her hair to the dark window and unceremoniously threw her into one of the chairs there. “And here I thought you were coming around. You will regret this, Lena.” Without waiting for her to reply, he stormed from the room.

As she attempted to release the breath that was stuck in her chest, a portion of the window in front of her lit up. A doorway opened, letting minimal light pour into what she realized now was a darkened room on the other side of the window. She watched as Lex turned on the lights and the entire room came into view in the window. Lena’s heart stilled at the sight of what was in the center of the room. A hooded figure was on its knees, wrists shackled behind the person’s back. It appeared the only thing keeping the figure somewhat upright was the chain that led from the wrist confinements up to the ceiling. The figure had a dark canvas bag over its bent head. Lena noted the small puddle of blood directly below the figure’s head. She watched as a drop of blood dripped from the canvas bag down to the puddle. Whoever the figure was, the person had quite the head injury to result in the puddle she saw.

Lex walked to the window between the two rooms and pressed a button on the small panel next to the window. Lena heard the hum of audio feedback before Lex’s voice echoed through both rooms. “Who is Supergirl?”

“I’m not telling you.” She tried to be as strong in her defiance as she could but the sight of the injured figure reminded her of what her brother was capable of doing to her and to others.

Lex joined the figure in the middle of the room and gently laid his hand on the figure’s head. Whoever it was underneath the canvas covering was conscious enough to feel the pressure because the head immediately rose several inches. Lex looked back at Lena and asked once again, “Who is Supergirl?”

Lena could only shake her head. She could feel tears streak down her cheeks, knew that her defiance was about to cause the figure more pain.

The sound of Lex’s punch against the person’s skull made her stomach clench. “Who is Supergirl?” Two more punches landed against the head.

“Stop! Lex, stop it now!”

“WHO IS SUPERGIRL?!” This time it was a punch to the side of the head and a knee straight to the face.

Lena could hear the groans of Lex’s prisoner. She felt awful that she was the source of his pain but she could not and would not give up Kara’s secret identity.

“Still not going to answer me?!” Lex doled out two more punches. “Massey,” Lex hollered as he took a step back and began to wipe the blood from his hand with a towel. Massey entered the room and Lex barked out his orders. “Take this one,” he jerked his head toward the figure, “and bring me the other one.”

Lena watched Massey unhook the figure from his constraints. “You have to stop this. You are not this person, Lex.”

Lex walked back to the window, throwing the bloodied towel on to the floor. “I’m not going to stop until I get what I want. I’m not going to stop until I avenge father’s death and rid this world of every alien – starting with the Supers.”

“You killed dad!” Lena felt anger coarse through her body. For the first time in her life she felt like she could kill. “You attacked Superman! Dad’s death is more on your hands than his!”

“Mother was right. You are a fucking traitor. Sticking up for Superman, befriending Supergirl. It’s sickening.”

************************************************************************************

_It broke Lena’s heart to watch Kara defend their relationship to what seemed like every person in National City. She knew Kara loved her and knew that she loved Kara but at times she wondered if there would ever be a time when Kara finally said enough was enough – that this relationship was not worth the constant defending to family and friends, the glares they received when out in public (something Lena was accustomed too but not Kara), the feeling that everyone was waiting for their relationship to grow cold. But they had weathered every storm thus far except for one: Kal-El._

_Lena had never told Kara what had happened the night that Lionel had died and she suspected neither had Kal-El given the way Kara asked about the Luthors and the way she spoke about her cousin. She wondered if perhaps Kal-El would trust her more easily because of that night. But his constant refusal to Kara of coming to National City or allowing them to come to Metropolis made her question whether he really believed her to be like Lex and Lillian._

_‘Just wait. You guys will get along great. He’s just really busy right now.’ Kara would always say so optimistically that for a short time Lena pushed down her doubts and started to believe Kal-El would accept her as part of Kara’s life._

_That optimism quickly faded, however, when Lena completed her training at the DEO and signed the last of her non-disclosure documents – documents that revealed Superman as Clark Kent. Lena was well aware of Clark’s stance on the Luthor family as a whole from what he had published during Lex’s reign of terror and subsequent trial. Although he never condemned her explicitly, he had never allowed the Luthor name to be separated from Lex’s crimes and then eventually her mother’s. Perhaps he did dislike her despite that night or maybe even because of it. The only interaction she had with him since that night was the day he and Kara had come to her office after the Venture explosion and it was evident then by his combative rhetoric that Clark Kent did not like Lena Luthor._

_But one night, nearly a month later, Lena came home to find not only her girlfriend sitting in the living room but also Clark and Lois._

_‘Lena, you’re home! Look who stopped by!’ Kara was clearly happy but nervous about the situation at hand._

_Lena quickly placed her purse and jacket down and joined the group. Lois was the first to approach her, hand out stretched and a warm smile on her face._

_‘It’s nice to finally meet you,’ Lois said as she shook Lena’s hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulder._

_Clark, however, was rigid and distant as he shook her hand and mumbled, ‘Hello, Ms. Luthor.’ He refused to bring his eyes to her’s and quickly sat back down after releasing her hand._

_For most of the night Lena remained silent unless she was asked a question directly. Clark seemed to also adopt this strategy. The two of them listened throughout dinner as Kara and Lois discussed work, the apartment, and their mutual friends._

_‘Are you still painting, Kara?’ Lois had become quite comfortable, kicking off her shoes and curling herself in her chair at the table as her and Kara talked._

_‘Yes, I just finished one the other day. Lena has made me an awesome studio in one of the guest bedrooms. Let me show you.’ The two women quickly left the table leaving Lena and Clark alone for the first time._

_Not knowing what to say or how to say it, Lena busied herself clearing the table. She heard the terrace door open and close and watched through the kitchen window as Clark leaned against the railing and took in the sight of National City. As she watched him, she wondered if this was how all of their future interactions would be. If holidays and visits would be forced affairs, silent on her and Clark’s side. As she heard Kara and Lois break into laughter in Kara’s studio Lena knew she did not want this tension hanging over all of them. She quietly let herself on to the terrace and joined him at the railing. The night was chilly and she wrapped her arms around her torso trying to keep herself warm. After a few moments Clark finally spoke._

_‘I’m sorry, Lena.’_

_‘For?’ Her mind reeled through the possibilities for why he was apologizing._

_‘Your father,’ he croaked. Lena looked at his face and saw the same pain etched there that had been present that night as she begged him to flee. ‘And for how I’ve treated you since. I just…I figured that you had every reason to hate me after your father’s death and that you would naturally be on your brother’s side because of it. I never even gave you a chance.’_

_Lena let out a shaky breath and she tried to control her tears, remembering the way her father had felt in her arms as he took his last breath. ‘I’ve never blamed you for his death.’_

_‘But it was my fault.’_

_She gently grabbed him and forced him to face her. ‘It was Lex’s fault, not your’s,’ she said as the tears finally fell. ‘Lex caused you to lose control that night and did awful things to you, to Lois after that. All of this is on Lex, not you.’_

_‘There isn’t a day that I don’t think about that night,’ he confessed as his own tears broke free. ‘I blame myself for Lex too. Maybe if I had been a better friend, had tried to reason with him more…’_

_Lena pushed herself up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. She felt him whisper his apology again and again into her hair as his arms tightened around her and she assured him that it was not his fault. After a few moments she felt his body finally relax and they pulled away from one another, a mutual acceptance of their pasts overcoming them._

************************************************************************************

The door to the room opened again and Massey dragged another body into the room, its head covered in a canvas bag just like the previous figure. Lex stepped away from the window and helped Massey hook the new prisoner to the constraints. With the ceiling chained locked in place, Lex took up his previous position to the side of the prisoner, giving Lena a perfect few of the abuse that was about to take place. “Who is Supergirl?”

“Fuck you,” Lena spat.

Lex smiled sweetly at her. “I think I’m going to enjoy this.”

He ripped the canvas bag from the prisoner’s head. Lena watched in horror as his fist collided with the side of Kara Danvers’ face.


	7. Chapter 7

Kara opened her eyes slowly. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at the strange ceiling above her. Where was she? She racked her brain but only had blurred visions of the many drinks she had at the bar. And perhaps a fire, although that did not really make sense. _I really shouldn’t have had so much to drink_. Slowly she turned her head to examine the rest of the room and saw a man standing in a door leading to a hallway.

“Hello, Ms. Danvers.” His voice was calm, almost friendly. She could not find her own voice to reply and instead stared curiously at the man as she sat up on the cot and then carefully made her way to her feet. The man took a step forward and to the side, moving his right hand to the door in an inviting gesture. “Would you please follow me?”

She hesitated but then moved closer to the man. When she reached him, she stopped and looked him in the eyes. “You’re that detective. The one who told me about Lena.”

“Through the door, Ms. Danvers.” Massey gestured again. This time she followed his instructions. Once in the hallway, he stopped her by putting a hand lightly on her shoulder. “This way,” he stated as he steered her to the left. He guided her down the empty hall.

As she took in her surroundings of bleak walls and metal doors, Kara tried to remember how she got to whatever this place was. Clearly this had something to do with the police because she recognized Detective Massey but the lack of people made her uneasy. No officers, no detectives, no general staff whatsoever. From what she could tell there was no activity in the building at all. If this did have something to do with the police then where was Alex? She was typically her liaison between Supergirl and the authorities.

They reached Massey’s desired door, which he unlocked on a security panel with his fingerprint. He held the door open for her and ushered her inside. “Have a seat,” he instructed. There was a metal chair in the center of the room. The room itself was dark save for a hanging lamp directly above the chair, its light making a near perfect circle on the floor. Kara could not make out the rest of the room in the shadows and felt uneasy at the dark environment they had entered. Her senses tingled again but she did not dare ask about Alex or the DEO and risk exposing herself. Something was not right.

“What’s this about? Where are we?” She turned to face him. The hair on her arms was raised and goose bumps formed all over her body when she realized she could barely make him out in the darkness despite knowing and feeling that he was still next to her. Yes, something was definitely not right about this situation. For a fleeting moment she regretted her decision not to go to the DEO and have Alex figure out how to restore her powers. She sadly wondered if Kara Danvers was strong enough to take on whatever she feared was coming.

“Just sit.”

She took two hesitant steps toward the chair and the light. She heard his footsteps retreat and the click of the door as he left the room. Kara stood in the shadows and tried to bring about her powers, to push her senses into super mode. But they flickered in and out, like a radio station in between cities. She finally focused her hearing for a few seconds and detected a heartbeat. A heartbeat that was near. She took a few more steps forward and stood at the edge of the lit area of the room. She tried to bring the heartbeat back into focus but could not quite get it to come from her periphery. Disappointed, she finally entered the circle of light and examined the chair.

“You are much taller than I expected.” Kara whipped her head to the right, toward the sound of the voice. She again willed her eyes to cut through the darkness, to see who was just beyond the light. “Have a seat, Kara.”

The voice was oddly familiar but she could not place it. “I’d rather stand, thanks.”

She heard a chuckle and then a reply, noting that whoever was talking was now pacing in the darkness around her. “Stubborn just like my sister.” From her left, she watched, dumbfounded, as Lex Luthor moved into the light and casually approached her.

“Lex?”

“It’s nice to meet you. I think you should take that seat now” He gripped her shoulder and in a swift motion he pushed her body down and brought his knee up into her gut. She doubled over in pain and then fell to her knees. She felt her powers swell and could have sworn she felt the concrete below her fingertips start to give way with the rush of power. She tried to hold on to that feeling, that surge of strength, but it too quickly slipped away again. “I insist on you sitting," Lex stated flatly as he stood above her.

When she regained a shallow breath, she pushed herself up on to the metal chair. Lex retreated back to the darkness. Kara scanned the room, preparing herself for another assault now knowing who her captor was. A brief moment passed when suddenly more lights came on, illuminating the rest of the room. It was smaller than she had sensed and resembled an interrogation room, much like the one they had at the old DEO bunker. There were two doors – the one her and Massey and entered and the one she assumed Lex had come through. And both doors were heavily reinforced, made of thick metal and controlled by electronic locks. With more light in the room she could make out the outline of her hands in the concrete before her and prayed that Lex would not take notice.

Massey returned to the room through the door on her right. He was carrying what looked like a set of modified handcuffs. In pain and much too slow to collect herself in some sort of defense, Lex was able to wrap one of his arms around her from behind. He yanked one of her wrists back behind the chair and held it tightly for Massey to secure the cuffs. She felt another small burst of power and started to jerk herself away from him but it drained just as suddenly as it appeared and he was able to keep her in his grip. Every wave of power felt like she was trying to capture water in her hands. Knowing she could not possibly take on both men without her powers, she sat there in defeat and allowed them to secure her other wrist. The two men finished restraining her and stepped back from her chair to admire their handy work.

Lex casually perched himself on a nearby table, letting his legs dangle back and forth in a boy-like gesture that was contradictory to his aggression moments before. Massey took up a position by the door like a bodyguard. Kara shut her eyes and tried to think. She felt the acid in her throat and tried to swallow it down but the new pain in her gut protested at the slightest movement. “Why am I here?” She asked quietly, afraid to succumb to the pain.

“You are here because I need information and I’m having difficulty getting it.” He swung his legs some more, not a care in the world.

“Information?”

“Who is Supergirl?” Lex asked the question matter-of-factly, as if he had simply asked her what her favorite color was.

Kara froze. She tried not to glance at the handprints in the floor and felt a small amount of comfort in the realization that Lex did not know her true identity. “I don’t know,” she replied after a brief hesitation.

“You are quite the reporter.” He picked up an old copy of CatCo Magazine from the table and waved it at her. Kara’s breath hitched in her lungs at the sight of Lena’s face across the cover. Her pain seemed to double at the reminder of Lena. “A little too pro-alien for my tastes but your passion is evident in your writing.” He smiled at her brightly. “I see that Supergirl is often your source,” he said as he flipped to her article. “You must know her pretty well.”

She tried to quickly work through a plan. Obviously telling Lex Luthor she was Supergirl was out of the question, not that he would believe her in her current powerless state. Not telling him, however, could endanger Kara Danvers. Again, she felt a twinge of regret for not letting Alex attempt to restore her powers. “She only comes to me as Supergirl and on her terms. I don’t even know how to contact her.”

Lex sighed. “That is unfortunate for us both then.” He slipped off the table and approached her. He stood and studied her for a moment. “I can see why my sister was so taken with you. I hope I don’t have to injure your pretty little face too much.” Lex swept some of her blonde locks back behind her ear. Massey joined Lex at her side with a devilish grin across his face. He pulled a bag out of his pocket and shoved it over her head, skewing her glasses awkwardly.

Kara heard their footsteps retreat and then the click of the light switch. What little light she could gather from beneath the bag vanished and she was left alone in pitch darkness and total silence.

************************************************************************************

_‘I still think alien amnesty is a good thing. But,’ she hesitated and then admitted, ‘there are bad aliens out there.' Kara glanced at Lena nervously. Kara feared her pro-alien views might ruin the new friendship that was blossoming between the two of them. Although she had come to realize that Lena did not completely share the anti-alien views the other Luthors held, Kara was still uneasy breaching the subject._

_‘Well I'm glad you can see it from my point of view.’ Lena’s smile was bright and the relief that Kara felt was mirrored in Lena’s face. ‘You know when I was first adopted by the Luthors I adored Lex. When he showed his true colors I was crushed. I tried everything to reach him, to bring him back to the side of good but it was no use. I lost him.’ Kara watched as Lena tried to keep her composure. But Kara took the crack in her voice, in the façade that was Ms. Lena Luthor, not as weakness but as compassion and experience. ‘Finally I realized that some people are just bad, there is nothing you can do to change that. But you can learn to protect yourself.’_

_Kara looked at her hands in her lap, unable to continue to meet Lena’s eyes. ‘I'm sorry I was a little harsh. When I was interviewing you the other day, I mean,’ Kara said as she fidgeted with the hem of dress. ‘I just–’_

_‘You don’t have to explain yourself again.’ Lena reached over and covered Kara’s fidgeting hands with her own. ‘You were right. The alien detection device was a bit much. Although I did intend for it to be used for good, I can see how it could be used against aliens. How it could oppress them even more.’ Lena squeezed Kara’s hands gently. ‘Thank you. Sometime we,’ she laughed at herself and corrected, ‘sometimes I fall victim to severe cases of tunnel vision when developing a new product.’ Kara let her eyes meet Lena’s again, happy that Lena was not angry with her. They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before Lena continued. ‘I really did mean what I said to Mr. Kent. That I want to turn this company into a force of good.’_

_‘I believe you will, Lena. You are an amazing woman,’ Kara watched as a blush crept over Lena’s cheeks, ‘and I know that you are good. You are nothing like your family.’_

_This time it was Lena’s turn to lower her head in shyness. ‘It’s funny. I spent most of my life trying to be a Luthor, trying to live up to the name. And now,’ she sighed, ‘I want nothing to do with it all.’_

_‘So change your name. Move away and live on some secluded beach or up in the mountains.’_

_Lena laughed at the simplicity of Kara’s plan. ‘That does sound nice, doesn’t it? But I don’t think I could ever leave this like,’ she gestured around her office, ‘this. I mean,’ she continued at the sight of Kara’s confusion, ‘leave L-Corp the way it is now.’_

_‘I’m not sure I’m following.’_

_Lena kicked off her heels and folded her legs underneath her. She bit her lip as she contemplated the best way to explain herself. ‘I feel like I’m finally doing what I am supposed to be doing. You know?’ She glanced at Kara. ‘I feel like this is my calling, to make L-Corp the best it can be, to undo all of the awful things Lex did. Well, not undo, obviously, but to make up for the things he did.’ She paused and took a deep breath. ‘It kills me that no one seems to remember the good my father did, what Luthor Corp used to be. Somehow in two years Lex was able to make everyone associate the name Luthor with anti-alien genocide. And here it’s been almost four years and I still can’t shake the stigma. But righting my father’s legacy is what I want, what I need to do no matter how long it takes.’ She paused again and shook her head. ‘I’m doing a terrible job of explaining this but I feel like what I’m doing will alleviate the guilt I feel for not being able to save Lex or save all those innocent people and aliens.’_

_But Kara knew exactly what Lena meant. She knew what it felt like to not only have to live up to a family name but to have to face the fact that her family was not always a force of good as well. She knew what it felt like to wonder about the what-ifs. How many times had she wondered what would have happened if her Aunt Astra had not come to see Kara allowing Allura to arrest her? Would Astra and Non’s plan have worked? Would Krypton still exist? Would she still have her family? Looking at Lena, Kara could see the same determination in her that she herself had felt when she made the choice to be a hero, to be Supergirl and to embrace not only her past but also a specific future. She knew how that desire could eat at your soul. ‘I understand perfectly.’_

_‘You do?’ Lena looked relieved at Kara’s admission._

_‘Yeah, I do. I–’ She hesitated in uncertainty of what to tell Lena especially at this stage in their friendship. ‘I was adopted too, when I was thirteen.’_

_‘You were?’ Lena gave a small but sad smile. One that conveyed happiness of finding a similar soul but also expressed the sadness of knowing what it is like to be adopted._

_‘Yes. But before I was adopted, I had an aunt who I loved dearly. And she did some pretty terrible things. Things that she thought were right at the time and I often wonder what I could have done to prevent it all. It’s a strange feeling to have these memories of being happy with her, of loving her and now knowing what awful things she did and what she planned to do.’_

_‘That is exactly how I feel about Lex. He was my everything. Him and my father but Lex especially. My mother was not thrilled with my adoption and she never let a chance go by to show it. Lex was always there to pick up the pieces every time she broke me. I really came to depend on him and to look up to him. It broke my heart, it still breaks me heart, knowing the path he took. I still can’t figure out how the same person who used to carry me around on his back, put bandages on my scrapes, who was gentle and loving and kind and promised to always take care of me and to never hurt me, how he took the lives of all those people. All of those aliens.’ Lena wiped her eyes to prevent her tears from falling._

_Kara scooted herself closer to Lena and wrapped her arms around her. They sat like that for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts but grateful to finally have an understanding ally in one another._

************************************************************************************

Hours had passed when Kara heard one of the metal doors open to the room. Footsteps rushed toward her and Kara felt herself be dragged off the chair. She stumbled a bit trying to gain her footing with her wrists locked behind her back. A hand, she assumed it was the detective’s again by its thickness and heat, steadied her and then insistently pushed her forward. Unlike earlier, he forcibly steered her in the correct direction. She felt uncoordinated as she lost her footing every few steps due to his rough treatment. After several moments, she painfully clipped into a wall and completely lost her footing this time, falling down to one knee. Kara heard the buzz of one of the electronic door locks and Massey grabbed the link of her handcuffs. He roughly dragged her through the door not giving her a chance to even stand. He finally deposited her on to the concrete floor and she felt another set of hands join Massey’s as they worked on her handcuffs. As she heard them back away from her, Kara could feel a new strain on her wrists. She leaned forward to test it and realized they had secured her to something else.

One of the figures approached her again. Although he was not touching her, she could feel his body just to the left of where she was shackled. “Who is Supergirl?” It was Lex. Kara jerked her head up at the question, confused. As she was about to speak another voice rang through the room.

“Fuck you.”

A chill went down Kara’s spine. That voice could not exist. It had to be a trick of some sort.

“I think I am going to enjoy this,” Lex stated.

Kara was blinded by the sudden introduction of light when the bag was ripped off of her head. She felt a fist slam into her jaw before her eyes could adjust. The scream, one she had heard before, sent ice through her veins and made her stomach drop. She barely registered the pain in her face, only the intensity of the scream.

“WHO IS SUPERGIRL?!”

What happened next seemed like a nightmare. Lex swung between rationality and lunacy. For a short time following his question he seemed in control. Then, the next instant he was pacing in front of her like an animal, demanding repeatedly for Supergirl’s identity and yelling at whoever was not providing the answer. All Kara could do was to try to protect her head from his attack and take each blow as well as she could. Her glasses had been knocked from her face within the first two hits. She could feel blood trickling down her face and welts already forming. Her ears were ringing loudly but she could still hear Lex’s yells and someone pleading, begging him to stop the attack.

“LEX STOP! PLEASE!”

“Lena, you better fucking tell me right now. If you want her to live you better tell me now!”

Lena.

It took all of Kara’s strength to raise her head but it was so worth it when blue eyes met green. Her powers surged as a wave of adrenaline rushed through her. She felt the warmth of her super-strength boil in her veins, felt her muscles tighten and her vision clear. She ripped the handcuffs apart as if they were made from paper and rose quickly to her feet. The sight of Lena’s hopeful eyes on the other side of the glass spurred her further. She pulled herself from the constraints that bound her, causing concrete to rain down upon her as the chain was torn from the ceiling. Free at last, she took two steps forward but then suddenly stopped.

The next few seconds seemed to drag on for eternity. Lena’s eyes became anguished and her scream pierced through the two rooms. Kara watched as Lena collapsed in tears. Confused at this change, Kara tried to speak but her mouth was suddenly too wet. All she could taste was acrid metal. The wetness in her mouth was overwhelming and as she coughed blood sprayed the floor in front of her. She tried to take another step forward but a new pain kept her rooted. She finally let her eyes leave the sight of Lena and go to her side where this new pain was originating. She found a bright green blade sticking into her side. She looked up and as her eyes met Lex’s face she felt the blade push deeper into her. She fell first to her knees and then to her side. She desperately tried to reach around and remove the blade but her hands were violently shaking.

“Well, well, well. Hello, Supergirl.” Lex stepped over her body and pulled the blade out in one swift motion.

As the Kryptonite coursed through her veins, Lex’s face was the last thing she saw before succumbing to the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such an asshole. Sorry :x
> 
> I am really sorry it took me so long to update and I know I've been pretty bad at responding to your comments. But I seriously appreciate them SO MUCH!!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

Alex looked around the conference room and was grateful for the scene before her: files and crime scene photos still scattered everywhere, an ever growing amount of food wrappers and empty coffee cups, but most importantly her family, tired and overworked but still fighting, save for one face. For a brief moment as she scanned the room she expected her eyes to find Kara, diligently working with the team as if this was a routine investigation. But Kara’s chair was empty. Alex wondered if the others had done this on purpose.

It had been nearly twenty-four hours since Kara’s abduction. Alex stood looking at the work they had completed since that morning. It was impressive, but still not a solution. The original outline and thought-networks she had developed across the conference room boards had changed drastically as their investigation had proceeded. James had cleared the CatCo angle – Kara had not received any threats about any of her articles outside of the normal hate mail the magazine received. J’onn and Vasquez had been working steadily on the Fort Rozz roster and had not found anything out of the ordinary. Most of the aggressive prisoners that were once jailed in Fort Rozz had already been rounded up by the DEO and Supergirl, and the other former prisoners were deemed non-threatening or were being tracked. They were therefore left with three possibilities for Kara’s disappearance: a Cadmus/Luthor connection, an L-Corp connection, or a completely random event.

Alex had used the DEO’s resources to obtain a direct video feed of both Lillian and Lex’s cells and the prison warden had promised her detailed reports of every movement for both Luthors when they were out of their cells. Cadmus had gone quiet with the arrest and incarceration of Lillian but Alex knew the organization still had plenty of minions and followers and the real Hank Henshaw was still at large. With no real leads there, she was now turning her attention to the L-Corp connection. She was due to meet Patrick Rogers at L-Corp in an hour.

“Alex?” She turned to see J’onn standing at the conference room door and realized he must have said her name several times before it had registered with her. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

She gave him a suspicious glare. “Right now?”

“Yes. Let’s go to my office.”

J’onn was silent as he led her out of the conference room and next door to his office. Through the glass wall, she saw everyone staring at the two of them. James and Maggie had both risen from their chairs as if they intended to follow. Winn adjusted his computer monitor so he had a clear view of J’onn’s office. Vasquez stood defiantly near the glass wall with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed as she watched them. Alex had no idea why J’onn had pulled her separately – they were all in this together. And in any other given state of emotion she would be moved by the shows of devotion from them all but she could already feel the bile rise as her anxiety increased. _Kara is alive_. _Kara is alive_. _Kara is alive_. _Please let Kara be alive_.

As he shut the door he asked, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine. I just want to know what’s going on here!” She gestured around to his office as anger started to clash with anxiety.

“Why don’t you sit down, Alex? We need to discuss something.”

“No, just tell me.” She folded her arms in defiance.

He sighed, knowing it was no use to argue with her. “I wanted to tell you this before I told everyone else.” Something about the uneasiness in his voice, the sadness in his eyes made her change her mind, and she sank into one of the chairs in front of the desk. “I have spoken with the President. I was informed that about an hour ago the FBI received notification that Cadmus is taking credit for the disappearance of Supergirl.”

Alex now understood why he had wanted her to sit. A wave of nausea hit her and she was thankful for the solid seat. She sat still, her eyes never leaving J’onn’s face. Her emotions felt open and raw yet every last nerve numbed. “Is she alive?”

J’onn swallowed. “We assume so.”

“ASSUME?!” She jumped out of the chair, causing it to topple backwards. “Don’t talk to me in assumptions not when Kara’s life–” Alex choked back a sob at the realization of what she was saying. J’onn bowed his head in silent admission. “So they know Kara is Supergirl.” It was their worst fear and now it how come to light.

“Kara was abducted but they are claiming responsibility for Supergirl’s disappearance. So yes, it appears they know who she is.” J’onn came around his desk and put a hand on her shoulder. “Although they didn’t explicitly demand it, the President’s advisors think that Cadmus wants to negotiate for something. Maybe in exchange for Kara’s life if she is alive. But the President’s team is unsure at the moment. There was little in the message.”

“She’s alive,” sneered Alex. “What evidence do they have? Is the President taking the organization’s word for it?”

“At this time, yes. As you know, it is policy for me to report any and all complications revolving around alien species. I informed the President late last night of Supergirl’s abduction. Within twenty-four hours Cadmus steps up and takes the claim. And with our history, your family’s history with Cadmus I see no reason to doubt their motives for wanting her.”

She began to pace in front of the desk, wringing her hands together to keep them from shaking. “At least we know now. I will have Winn and Vasquez start–”

“Alex, the President has asked us to stand down for the time being. Because Cadmus itself is now considered a terrorist organization after Lillian Luthor’s last stand, the FBI and Homeland Security will be taking point. If and when the time comes, we will be included.”

“What?! Do they understand who they are dealing with? Do they have any fucking clue what Cadmus is capable of?”

J’onn raised his voice not in anger but to be heard over Alex. “Orders are orders, Agent Danvers. At this time, we are to stand down. A team will be here within the hour to collect what information we have.”

“This is bullshit and you know it! We’ve dealt with Cadmus before, we know what they are capable of more so then any of those other federal morons. For Christ’s sake Kara is an alien – that makes this our jurisdiction!” She stared at him, unconvinced of what he was instructing her to do. She was no longer numb. Anger, rage, and a dozen other emotions exploded within her. But one was severely overpowering, almost suffocating: helplessness. She was being asked to do nothing. She turned to leave because she could not stand another moment of not working on finding Kara.

“Alex.” She stopped, hand ready to open the door, but refused to face J’onn again. “You will stand down. I do not want a turf war between the DEO and the FBI, not with Kara’s life possibly hanging in the balance.”

She did not turn; she knew she did not need to. She stared hard at the wood grain of the door in front of her. She let her brain recall every possible Kara memory she could muster. Kara laughing, Kara singing, Kara as Supergirl, Kara saving them all again and again. Lena and Kara’s engagement party, Kara’s tears and pain. She heard him sigh irritably and knew he had seen enough. She threw the door open loudly and stomped into the conference room. With her jacket and gun in place, she ignored the confused stares and the questions from the rest of the team and grabbed the pictures of the red-haired stranger from the board. She quickly left the room without a word, not stopping even to answer Maggie’s pleas for an explanation.

************************************************************************************

“Agent Danvers, it’s nice to see you again.” Patrick Rogers took in the agent’s face. Danvers was all hard angles, her eyes somehow more intense than usual, darker. “Is everything okay?”

“No. We need to talk. In private. And I mean private.”

The way she emphasized the need for privacy, for secrecy made the hairs on his neck stand on end. Rogers nodded and gestured for her to follow him. As they walked to the elevators he tried to run through the possibilities of why Danvers needed to speak with him. They had worked closely together after Lena’s death because Kara was too grief stricken to handle Lena’s estate. But their interactions had subsided quickly in the last month. And without Lena and Kara there, the relationship between those at the DEO and L-Corp had drifted apart somewhat.

The elevator stopped at the top floor and Rogers led them around the corner. Jess quickly got to her feet at the sound of the elevator and their footsteps. Since Lena’s death there were few if any visitors to the top suite. Jess had taken the position as head of the administrative staff and had been offered an office elsewhere in the building, with a view and her own secretary. And although Jess had taken the position, she refused to work anywhere else other than her desk outside of Lena’s office. Rogers wondered if staying on the now solitary top floor was Jess’ way of coping with the loss of Lena. They had all been devastated by Lena’s death and he wondered if any of them would ever get over it.

“Agent Danvers! It’s so nice to see you. How’s Kara doing?” Jess gave Alex a small hug, undeterred by Alex’s intimidating façade.

Alex took a deep breath and looked right at Rogers. “We need to talk now. We don’t have much time.”

“Jess, could we use Lena’s office for a bit?” Rogers asked.

Jess looked back and forth between the two nervously. “Of course,” she finally conceded. She retrieved the key from her desk and handed it to Rogers. “Is everything alright?”

Rogers took the key and unlocked the office door. He stepped inside and switched on the lights. Alex followed but stopped in the doorway. She looked back at Jess and then jerked her head toward the office. “You should hear this too.”

Jess narrowed her eyes at Alex but took up the invitation. Once inside, Alex looked around the familiar office. Not a single thing had changed since Lena’s death. The desk was still covered in files with Lena’s reading glasses lying on top of them as if she had just taken them off. The picture frames still held pictures of Kara, of both Lena and Kara. And, of course, Lena’s favorite picture that Alex and Maggie had framed for her as a birthday gift: Lena front and center, smiling brightly at the camera as Kara kissed her cheek with the DEO crew, Maggie, James, and the L-Corp crew all celebrating or doing goofy faces around the couple. Alex turned and found Jess and Rogers watching her intently. She wondered if Jess or Rogers or any of them would look that happy again.

“What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room.” Alex started to pace. “And what I am going to ask you to do is illegal. I understand completely if that is not something you are on board with but I need you both to hear me out.” She stopped and waited for a reaction. When she got none, she continued. “Kara has been abducted by Cadmus. It’s been almost twenty-four hours.”

Jess had clapped her hand over her mouth at the news but then quickly said, “I – I don’t understand. Lillian’s in jail. How?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Alex looked over at Rogers who had sunk down on the white couch and had placed his head in his hands. “We’ve been working constantly since last night but only just learned of Cadmus’ involvement. But that is not the worst of it,” she paused and composed herself. “They know she is Supergirl.” Alex did not dare mention the fact that Kara could already be dead – she refused to even entertain that thought.

Jess stepped forward and gently took Alex’s hand. “What do you need us to do?” This was not the first time Jess and Alex had to comfort one another in the past few weeks. They had developed an unspeakable bond, with Jess as Lena’s anchor and Alex as Kara’s. Lena’s death had taken a toll on all of them and it was only through their joint efforts that they seemed to come out on the other side of it intact. Damaged, but intact.

Alex squeezed Jess’s hand and looked back at Rogers. “I need to know everything that happened the day Lena died.”

Rogers finally brought his head up, confusion written all over his face. “What does this have to do with Lena?”

Alex pulled the photos of the red-haired man out of her jacket pocket and laid them on Lena’s desk. Both Rogers and Jess approached and quickly studied the pictures. Alex sat in Lena’s chair and began to recount everything they had investigated thus far, how they had eliminated anything at CatCo, with Fort Rozz, and how they were just turning to the possibility of a Cadmus connection when they received news from the President. “I know this might be a stretch but this guy,” she jabbed her finger at one of the pictures, “doesn’t sit well with me. I have this gut feeling that somehow this has something to do with Lena or with L-Corp. I’m just not quite sure yet of how. That’s why I’m here and that’s why I need you both.”

Rogers and Jess looked at one another and then back at Alex. Rogers asked, “What do you want us to do?”

“First,” Alex started, “I need you to tell Gabriela and Travis. The four of you have all been cleared by the DEO and know Lena and Kara. You all also run this place so if there is something going on you’ll find it quicker than anyone else. Second, I need as detailed of an account of the day Lena died, and the days preceding it.” She paused and took another deep breath. “But most importantly, I need you all not to tell anyone, NCPD, the FBI, whoever, about what we are doing.”

Rogers gave a short laugh as if she was joking but quickly cut it off when he realized she was not. “Why?”

“At this point, I don’t trust them.” She briefly described Maggie’s fear that they had been watched the night before at the hospital, how Maggie and her team at NCPD had been removed from the investigation of the taxi explosion right off the bat, the discovery of the red-haired man at both crime scenes, and now the removal of the DEO from the investigation. “So for now if they come asking questions we don’t say anything, alright?”

Both nodded their heads in agreement. Jess stood up and came around the desk next to Alex. “I’ll pull up Lena’s calendar for that week and start from there.”

“And I’ll go down to the lab and start pulling information about the projects Lena was working on at the time.” Rogers walked to the private elevator in Lena’s office that led down to his lab. A wave of déjà vu hit him as the last time he had taken this elevator was the day Lena had died. The day he had gone out to get the last trial for their implant. The day he had told her about the Caeneus. Rogers came to a dead stop, as if he had ran right into an invisible barrier. “Oh shit.” He quickly turned to Alex and Jess who were already busy making notes out of Lena’s computer. “Did Lena ever tell you about Caeneus?”

Alex gave him a confused look that answered his question. “What the hell is Caeneus?”

************************************************************************************

Lena watched Kara’s breathing. It had finally steadied once Lena had stopped the bleeding. The kryptonite blade had made a wide and ragged gash into Kara’s left side. Lena was unsure of what damage the physical blade had done internally but she knew it must have been made out of pure kryptonite because she could see the lingering greenness in Kara’s skin. Lena was out of her element, she thought as she checked Kara’s bandage for the tenth time. Alex had always taken care of Kara’s physical injuries while Lena had been charged with the care of Kara’s mind and soul. She knew how to love Kara. She knew what food to make that would restore Kara’s mood, knew exactly how to hold Kara in her arms and how Kara liked to have her hair played with. She had special sun lamps built into their bedroom’s ceiling so that Kara could recuperate at home rather than the DEO. Lena had studied and learned Krypton’s traditional songs so that she could softly sing them during Kara’s nightmares. But this – this was out of Lena’s league. Lena had no idea how to treat the lingering green she could still see in Kara’s veins or how to properly stitch up the wound. She had done her best with what Lex and his lackey, Hendricks, had brought her.

Lena looked down at her hands. They were completely covered in Kara’s blood. The knees of her pants were thoroughly soaked with blood as well as half of her shirt. Lena had never been more scared in her life as she was kneeling beside Kara, desperately trying to cover the wound and stop the bleeding with her hands. And she was still scared of what Lex planned to do to Kara.

_‘I need her alive. At least for the next couple of days,’ Lex said as he had thrust the medical kit into her hands._

_Hendricks had filled two tubes of blood before he had allowed Lena to start working. ‘We’ll need another sample once the kryptonite is out of her system. And I can’t do the retinal scan with her eyes like that.’_

_Lena finally looked at Kara’s face. Eyes that should have been blue were open but they were a violent green that clashed with the blood-shot lines._

_‘Kara, I’m here. Oh Kara please.’ Lena wiped Kara’s blonde hair from her face and let her fingertips go to the pulse point on her neck. She could feel the rapid heartbeat just beneath the skin as Kara’s body went into overdrive in an attempt to fight the kryptonite in her system. Her stomach turned at the sight of the sickly green tint that was spreading across Kara’s skin, a clear indication that Kara’s body was fighting a losing war. The faster her heart beat to fight the kryptonite, the faster she was pumping her own blood out of the wound._

_‘Lena?’ Kara’s voice was so soft, almost childlike._

_‘I’m here, sweetheart. I’m going to make it better. I’m here.’ She brought Kara’s hand up and nuzzled her face into Kara’s palm, placing a gentle kiss on the soft skin there. But Kara’s eyes rolled into the back of her head before she could respond._

_‘Lena, here.’ Lex held out a case to her. ‘Start with ten milliliters once you get the bleeding stopped’_

_She opened the case and found a syringe and a glass bottle with clear liquid._

That had been nearly four hours ago.

Hendricks was back for the third time to check on Kara. “I must say, for someone with very little medical knowledge,” he said as he lifted Kara’s bandage and inspected the wound, “you stitched this up quite well.” After a quick study of the wound, he replaced the bandage and added another piece of tape to keep it in place.

“For someone who is a doctor, who took an oath to help others, you didn’t seem in a hurry to help me.” Lena glared at him. She hated everything about Hendricks. From his loyalty to her brother, his cocky smile. Even his bright red hair somehow pissed her off.

“I don’t think my oath said anything about helping aliens.” He smiled at her and then turned his attention to checking Kara’s eyes. Lena was relieved to see that nearly all the green had left them. “Looks like the kryptonite is almost gone. I’ll give it another hour or two. She should start waking up soon too.”

Hendricks clicked his pen light off and placed it back in his pocket. From a backpack he had brought with him, he removed a change of clothes for Lena and handed them to her. He then pulled out a new set of handcuffs, ones laced with kryptonite, and fastened them around Kara’s wrists.

  
“Don’t you think that is a little premature? Her body is just now getting rid of the kryptonite in her system and now you want to introduce it back to her skin?” Lena stood and tried to grab the cuffs from him but he was able to fasten the first set to the gurney.

“She’ll be fine. This grade is low enough that it won’t harm her – it’ll just keep her from breaking them like the last pair.”

Lena stood there defeated. She ran her fingers through Kara’s hair, praying that the kryptonite cuffs would not make her worse. “Can I please have a sun lamp for her? I know Lex has to have one somewhere in this god forsaken place.”

Hendricks, now complete with his examination, shouldered the bag. “I don’t think so. You’re lucky we’re keeping her alive.” He gave her that stupid cocky grin again. “For now.”

Lena watched him leave and then turned her attention back to Kara. She was so torn. Every night since she had been abducted she had wished and prayed, bartered and plead with every deity she could think of to let her see Kara just once more. And now she wished even harder that they had never got their hands on her even if that meant that she had never seen Kara again.

Lena looked down again at her blood stained hands and decided it was time to clean up now that Kara seemed to be stable. She stripped her soaked clothes off as she walked to the sink in the corner of the room where she scrubbed her skin nearly raw trying to get the blood off her hands and nails. Her stomach turned at the wet smell of iron, a reminder of how close she had been to losing Kara. Once she had her hands cleaned she started on her arms and legs. After twenty minutes of scrubbing she was finally able to dry herself off and put on the fresh set of clothes.

She sighed in exhaustion. How was she going to get them out of this? Kara was never going to recover if she did not get exposed to sunlight and Lena knew that would be hard without a sun lamp. Lena herself had not seen the outside, the sun or they sky, in weeks. She stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders as she tried to think but she was completely exhausted. She looked back at Kara’s sleeping form. It took her a second to register that bright blue eyes were staring back at her.

“Kara?!” Lena rushed back to the bed and took Kara’s face in her hands.

Two tears fell from Kara’s eyes, her chin trembling. “Lena?”

“I’m here, darling, I’m here.” Lena half climbed on to the bed as she wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck and pulled her close. She felt Kara cling to her tightly, felt Kara’s sob break out of her against her chest as Kara buried her face into Lena.

“You’re alive–” Before she could finish the question, Lena felt Kara stiffen in her arms. Kara then jerked back hard and evaluated Lena’s face as if she had never seen it before.

“Yes, I’m here. I’m alive. Oh god Kara, I love you.” Lena leaned in and tried to place a kiss on Kara’s forehead, but Kara pulled herself further away. “Kara what’s wrong?”

“Who are you?” Kara looked frighten and hurt, another tear falling from her eyes. She gasped in pain and brought her hand to cover the bandage on her side, before pushing herself off the bed. Lena barely noticed that the kryptonite handcuffs had no effect on Kara as they broke easily with Kara's movements.

“Kara stop! You need to lie back down!” Lena followed Kara off the bed but stopped as Kara held out one hand in defense, the other still tightly clutching her wounded side. “Kara please! It’s me. Sweetheart, please let me help you.” And then it hit her. Lena watched as Kara’s eyes narrowed and her eyebrows formed the small crinkle on her forehead – the physical signs that Kara was using her super hearing. Her heartbeat. Lex had changed her heartbeat.

Tears flowed freely from Kara’s face, in both physical and emotional pain. “You’re not Lena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still an asshole - sorry! :x
> 
> But seriously, I am so sorry about the delay in this chapter. I just couldn't focus on this story because I was so excited about Katie becoming a regular and I had this huge wave of new fic ideas (you can check out one of the oneshots I've already put up here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10582350). And of course the new stills yesterday and the interview did not help at all with my distraction!
> 
> As always, I read and edit my own work so any typos or errors are on me. If you want, you can come yell at me on tumblr: @nevertobeships


	9. Chapter 9

“Grab another set of cuffs!” Lex shouted back at Hendricks. He stood in the doorway, disbelief across his face at the sight of Kara standing in the middle of the room. “Bring the straps too!”

“Kara please stop! Please let me help you!” Lena sounded hysterical and desperate. “It’s me, I promise!”

“This is a trick!” Kara screamed back at her. The scream was not in anger but in pain and grief. Kara was like a caged animal, backing away from Lena only to realize that that made her closer to Lex. She whipped her eyes back and forth between the two Luthor siblings trying to figure out an escape route.

“No, no, no, no!” Lena put her hands up in surrender, trying desperately to show that she was not a threat. “Sweetheart, I promise this is not a trick. Please let me help you. You’re injured.” Lena nodded her head toward Kara’s side where she could see a blood stain growing on the left side of the hospital gown. Kara’s movements had broken the poor stitch work Lena had previously done.

“Who are–” Before Kara could finish the question, she let out an ear-piercing scream. She fell hard to her knees and frantically tried to cover her ears. Lena rushed to Kara, guiding her down safely to the floor. She put her hands over Kara’s, trying to help protect Kara’s ears as she looked for the cause of the pain. “Make it…stop…,” Kara pleaded, her blue eyes never leaving Lena’s face.

Lena did a once over Kara’s body and then looked around the room. Lex was still in the doorway, sneering at the scene before him, a small black device held up in his hand. He clicked it once and Kara’s body visibly relaxed though her hands were hesitant to leave her ears.

Hendricks rushed back into the room, followed closely by Massey, carrying a new set of handcuffs. The two men picked Kara up from the floor, pushing Lena violently out of the way, and unceremoniously dumped Kara back onto the gurney. Kara grunted at the rough treatment but remained dazed from the influence of Lex’s device. Lena watched, terrified, as they fastened Kara to the gurney with the new handcuffs. Kara’s body involuntarily recoiled as the more potent kryptonite cuffs made contact with her skin. After securing her wrists, Hendricks and Massey added the straps, tightly pulling them across Kara’s head, chest, and thighs.

“Get the last blood sample,” Lex commanded Hendricks as he came over to check their work for himself. “And you,” he spat at Lena. “Stitch her back up and then I need you down in the lab.” With one last glance of disgust at Kara, he turned and left the room.

Lena took out a clean bandage and held it tightly over Kara’s reopened wound while Hendricks drew a new sample of blood from Kara’s other arm. “How are you doing that if the kryptonite is out of her system?” Lena stuttered out as she watched Hendricks prick Kara with a needle. Without the kryptonite in her blood stream, Kara’s skin should have toughened back to its original strength.

“It’s all thanks to you, Lena. Master of Caeneus.” He gave her another one of his cocky smiles as he finished his task. “We’ve already been able to use it for so much.”

Kara, lying helpless and still, looked up at Lena with more hurt and distrust than before.

Lena closed her eyes in defeat. How was she possibly going to get them out of this? How could she make Kara believe her? Believe that she was not helping Lex?

Hendricks brought out a headpiece that he plugged into the monitor next to Kara’s bed. He calibrated it and placed it over Kara’s face. Lena watched red light pass back and forth over Kara’s eyes. The machine beeped when it was done and Hendricks removed it from Kara’s face. Without saying another word, he picked up the new blood sample and left the room.

Lena pulled back the fresh bandage and examined Kara’s reopened wound. Her heart skipped as she saw that it was healing on its own. And fast. Kara’s body was healing itself as the last of the kryptonite burned out of her system and her super powers returned in full force. Lena quickly grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the crude knots she had previously tied, pulling the thread out of the wound. As she stood there, Kara’s skin closed on its own, leaving a bright irritated pink patch where the wound had been.

“You’re body is finally healing itself.” She tried to get Kara’s attention but Kara kept her gaze straight ahead. “Kara, please look at me.”

Nothing.

Lena sighed and began to pick up the stitching and bandages. Once she had cleaned up and washed her hands, she stood at the foot of the bed, watching Kara breathe. With no response, no indication that Kara wanted her there, Lena withdrew from the room, softly closing the door behind her.

************************************************************************************

“So you are telling me that you found a substance that could potentially make a stronger kryptonite?” Alex glared at Rogers. 

Rogers gulped under the intensity of Alex’s deep eyes. Alex was so much like Lena in this regard – both could shatter another’s confidence with one sharp look. “When we realized what it could potentially do, yes that became our top concern.”

Alex broke her eyes from Rogers and went to pacing the length of Lena’s office, her hands on her hips in frustration. “And none of you thought to inform the DEO?”

“I thought Lena had told you! And we thought we had it under control,” Rogers fired back at her. “The day Lena died I was able to get the tracker for the missing case of Caeneus to work. When I saw where it had traveled I immediately told Lena and figured she’d look into it. But then she died and things got so hectic around here that I didn’t think about it again until just now.”

Alex stopped her pacing and stared out across the city. She tried to fit this new information into the many different scenarios for Kara’s disappearance. “Tell me exactly what you think this Caeneus could do.”

Rogers joined her at the window and started his explanation. “I’m not one hundred percent sure since we could never break it down. But we do know that it made everything it came in contact with stronger. If someone could break it down, synthesize it, it could be added to anything to strengthen it immensely.”

“What does that mean in terms of Kara?”

“It would make kryptonite stronger, more potent. Depending on how pure the kryptonite was, Caeneus could increase its power on her tenfold. It could possibly make lead so much stronger that it would completely block her powers rather than just hinder them. It could make objects, like seemingly normal blades or needles, more effective against her skin.” He turned and faced her. “Alex, that is only if someone could break it down. We tried for weeks to do it and never made any real progress.”

Jess entered the room and interrupted the discussion. “Agent Danvers, Agent Schott and Agent Vasquez have arrived.”

Alex turned in time to see Winn walk into the room with a backpack slung over his shoulder and an equipment bag in each hand. Not far behind him was Vasquez also laden with equipment cases.

“Where do you want us to set up?” Winn asked.

“Anywhere here. Lena’s office is going to give us the most privacy,” Alex reported. She turned back to Rogers. “Can you please pick back up your investigation of Caeneus – it can’t be a coincidence. And even if it is, at least we’ll know.”

“Of course. I’ll pull up the tracking data again here.” He sat down at Lena’s computer and began typing.

“Jess, how are we doing on Lena’s movements the day she died?” Alex asked as she sat down on the white couch to help Vasquez unpack the equipment cases. She pulled a case towards her and pulled out a stack of notes and files.

Jess went out to her desk and quickly returned with a stack of printouts she had made from Lena’s schedule and the security logs. “Lena arrived just after 8:30 that morning –”

“I need exact details.” Alex brought out a legal pad from the case and started to take notes.

Jess nodded and searched the first document in her hand. “Lena swiped her ID card at the north security door at 8:32 that morning.” She looked at Alex to see if she should continue and did so when Alex looked up from her notes expectantly. “She came straight to her office. Stephanie Garvin was waiting for her and they met here in her office before leaving for the fifth-floor conference room together. They had a meeting with the Nakamura Investment Group from Japan at 9 am.” Jess paused and cleared her throat, trying to weigh what information would be pertinent to Alex. “Lena was back at 10:45, she placed a call to Stephanie’s office at 10:51.” Jess turned to another page in her stack. “The elevator records show that Patrick used the private elevator and came to Lena’s office at 11:06 and then left again at 11:32.”

“That’s when I told Lena about the last location of Caeneus,” Rogers add. 

Alex made a quick note and circled it on her legal pad. “When did Lena leave the building?”

Jess shuffled the papers in her hand. “There is no evidence of Lena leaving the building for that day.”

“What does that mean? Like she didn’t swipe out at a security door?” 

“That’s right,” Jess nodded.

Alex leaned back on the couch. “How could that be? Everyone, even Lena, has to go through security when entering or leaving the building. And Lena was a hard-ass for security. I can’t see her just walking through a checkpoint without swiping out.”

“Unless Kara flew her home but that was rare and only happened at night.” Jess provided.

“Right.” Alex sighed. The mention of Kara made her heart clench. “So Rogers you were the last person to see Lena. We can track Lena up until that moment.”

Rogers looked uncomfortable as if he had just been accused of Lena’s death. “I suppose so. At least of the people here.”

“You two also talked on the phone at 11:46,” Jess informed the group. “It was brief, less than five seconds. And then Lena took the elevator down to your lab immediately afterward. That is the last movement for Lena I can find in the security logs.”

Rogers’ brow narrowed as he tried to remember these last events. “I don’t remember calling her or her coming down to the lab.” He came over to Jess and took the papers from her hands to see the information himself. “I left the building after I met with Lena up here. I went back down to the lab, grabbed my coat, and left.” He flipped through the papers and finally found what he was looking for. “See, here. I swiped out of the lab’s loading bay at 11:35.”

Alex joined the pair and looked at the papers as well. “So who called Lena from your office?”

Rogers shrugged. “It wasn’t me.” He flipped to the next page in the stack. “And there is no record of anyone from my team being in the lab at the time Lena came downstairs.”

“Could Lena have left the building from the lab?” Alex asked.

“Not without swiping out with her ID or overriding the system,” Rogers replied.

Alex had a strange sense of having an answer but not knowing what it was. There was something trying to click in her brain. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

_‘No, damn it, Alex, you don’t understand. When I met Lena something…, I don’t know. Something clicked. It was like my senses automatically tuned to her. I could hear her heart always, no matter how far apart we were, hear her voice even when I didn’t use my super hearing.’ Alex watched as Kara looked out the terrace door. Kara looked worn with the blood from her broken nose dried across her face and her shoulders sagging in defeat. She must have sensed Alex staring because she put the ice pack back on her nose, wincing in pain. ‘It took a while for me to be able to tune it out or at least keep it at the peripheral. But it was always there. And at some point that day it was…gone.’_

_Alex came to Kara’s side, processing the information. She wanted to take her sister into her arms, try and comfort her. But she knew Kara would pull away until she had her say. ‘When the accident happened,’ Alex provided. Kara, of course, would not have been able to hear Lena’s heart after the accident._

_‘No, it was earlier than that. Lena left for work like always. I heard her arrive at L-Corp, everything seemed fine. But then a couple hours later I noticed her heartbeat was just gone.’_

_‘Gone?’ Alex still did not quite understand what Kara was trying to tell her._

_‘Like I said, I always tried to push hearing her to the peripheral. And you and I were investigating that White Martian and the oil tankard explosion and when we got back to the DEO I realized I couldn’t hear her anymore.’_

_‘Kara, that doesn’t make any sense. We were back at the DEO by noon. Lena’s accident wasn’t until after 3 pm.’ Alex went back to the dining table and sat down._

_Kara threw the ice pack down hard on the table. Alex was thankful Kara did not have her powers because the throw would have easily broken the table in two. ‘I know, Alex! That’s all I can think about! If I could’ve heard her then I could have gotten her to the hospital quicker. She could have lived.’_

Alex stared at the notes she had taken. Kara had said she could not hear Lena when they returned that day around noon. And just before noon was the last time they could track her whereabouts. Could Lena have died earlier?

“Winn, I need you to pull up the intersection footage of Lena’s accident.”

Winn booted up the two computers he had brought. After a few moments of typing, he turned one of the computers and hit the space bar. Alex, joined by Jess and Rogers, watched the video of the traffic at the intersection. Thirty seconds in, Lena’s black sedan pulled through the intersection. The sedan was smashed, head on, and they all winced at the impact. Alex was thankful there was no sound. Winn went to stop the video but Alex grabbed his wrist.

“Alex, you don’t want to see the rest. You don’t want to watch them pull her out.” Winn looked at her sadly. Jess groaned and walked away, wiping her eyes. “What are you trying to find anyway?" 

“I just need to.” She conceded. Winn was right, though. Watching this brought back the grief that was hidden just beneath the surface. The relationship between herself and Lena may have started out rocky but they had come to understand one another. They had truly bonded as sisters – their love of Kara had seen to that. Alex had been devastated by Lena’s death, not just because it nearly broke her sister but because she herself had lost the one true ally in her corner when it came to protecting Kara. They all loved Kara, of course. J’onn, Winn, all of them. They would all do everything in their power to protect Kara. Alex never doubted that. But with Lena, Alex felt the burden of Kara’s care lift. She knew that it was now a team effort more than ever before. And they had been a damn good team.

The video played on. They watched as pedestrians rushed to the scene of the crash, several on their phones most likely with emergency services. Alex noted that the extreme dark tint on Lena’s windows prevented them from seeing inside Lena’s car. Within two minutes, emergency personnel flooded the scene. But then they vanished. Alex looked at Winn. He noticed it too.

“Did you see that?” He clicked the video back ten seconds and played it again.

Sure enough, the ambulance pulled right up to the scene and the EMTs rushed to the cars. And then, they were gone. Both damaged cars were still sitting in the middle of the intersection and the same police car could be seen at the top of the screen. But then Alex also noticed that the people in the video were in different positions or were gone.

“This footage has been cut,” Winn declared. He grabbed the computer and placed it in his lap. He watched the same section of video three more times and then began typing away in one of his programs.

“Why would someone alter the footage?” Jess asked.

 _Because Lena died before the accident_. Alex had gone back to the office windows. “The last time we have any indication that Lena was alive was at 11:45 that morning. I remember Kara said she could not hear Lena when she and I returned to the DEO that day around noon.”

“So what are you saying,” Rogers interrupted, “is that Lena died before this? That it wasn’t an accident?”

Alex took a deep breath. “That’s exactly what I am saying. What else could make Kara not hear Lena? Her powers were intact that day.”

Vasquez finally spoke up. “This would have been a massive cover up. The EMTs, the hospital staff, the police. All to create an accident for someone you’ve already disposed of? Why? And what does this have to do with Kara’s disappearance?”

Alex let this sink in. “I don’t know. But it feels connected.” She sighed irritably. “Caeneus goes missing and then Lena dies under what we now know are mysterious circumstances. Then Kara gets taken and Cadmus takes the claim.” She put her head in her hands. A headache was steadily building behind her eyes. “It all has to be connected. Not very many groups would have the resources or manpower to pull all of this off.”

“So what do you want us to do next?” Vasquez asked.

“Let’s check out the EMTs and the hospital staff. Maybe we can find some link to Cadmus.”

“Uh, Alex?” Winn was typing franticly. “The FBI just showed up downstairs.”

************************************************************************************

Kara slowly opened her eyes. The makeshift hospital room was quiet save for the sounds of faint breathing and an unfamiliar heartbeat. She could not move her head much but she was able to shift enough to look to her left where her eyes found Lena. No – it could not be Lena. _Lena is dead_. She silently watched the imposter who was staring into nothingness. This was not her Lena. She was too thin, with dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was nearly translucent, sickly and pale like she had not been out in any sunlight for weeks. If she believed in the paranormal, Kara would have said that it was Lena’s corpse, raised to haunt her as if her memories of Lena were not painful enough. _Maybe I’m going insane_.

Her mouth was dry. She tried to swallow but only made herself cough, startling the imposter out of her deep thoughts.

“You’re awake,” the imposter said. It sounded just like Lena and that fact made Kara’s stomach knot.

“Who are you?” Kara’s voice was low and rough. She almost did not ask the question, not wanting to hear that voice again.

“Darling, it’s me. I promise.” The imposter took her hand and interlaced their fingers together. “I know my heart sounds different –” Her voiced cracked with the weight of what she was trying to say. “But it’s me, Kara. Let me prove it to you. Ask me anything. Anything at all. I don’t know how else to show you it’s me.”

Kara regarded her face for a moment. The eyes were right, the voice was right. “Can you take this strap off of my head?”

Lena nodded and quickly moved to the fastener where the strap met the gurney. She fumbled with it briefly before it clicked. She watched Kara bend her neck back and forth and lift her head up in an effort to stretch out her neck and shoulders. “Better?”

“Much, thanks.”

They were silent, their gazes not meeting, neither quite sure of what to say. Kara heard Lena move away from the bed and watched as she pulled a bottle of water out of a small fridge on the opposite side of the room. Lena poured some of the water into a paper cup and brought it over to Kara.

“Are you thirsty?”

Kara nodded and lifted her head once again so that she could drink from the cup as the imposter held it for her. The water was cold on her lips and throat but it felt good. She drank greedily only stopping so that the cup could be refilled. When she had finished off the bottle she finally spoke. “What’s my real name?”

Lena looked at her quizzically before realizing what Kara was doing. “Kara Zor-El.”

“What is Lena’s favorite meal that I can cook?”

“Pancakes.”

They continued back and forth like a verbal tennis match, Kara popping off questions and Lena answering each one correctly and with ease. After ten questions Kara stopped and studied Lena’s face. They both had tears in their eyes from the realization that they were overcoming the confusion.

“There is only one person in the entire universe who knows the answer to this question,” Kara said quietly. She bit her lip and contemplated even asking. All of her questions up to this point had been personal to them and their relationship but not very difficult to discern. Alex could have answered most of them. But there was one thing that no one else knew but Lena, something Kara had only said once out loud. “What is my biggest fear?”

Lena’s sharp exhale was almost enough of an answer.

_'I don't know what I would have done,' Kara whispered. They were curled up on the terrace sofa. Kara had her head in Lena's lap and was looking at the sun setting over the bay. Every sunset, with its reds, oranges, and yellows, was a stark reminder of Krypton. The colors called to her like sirens. Most nights she was able to resist them, caught up in work or making dinner with Lena. But some nights, like this one, the colors’ pull was too much. She felt Lena's fingers pass through her hair again, nails sliding along her scalp. This ritual soothed her more than anything in times where the loss of Krypton tore at her heart. 'What would I have become?"_

_'Not everything is black and white.' Lena watched Kara watch the sun dip ever lower. 'And we don't even know all the circumstances.'_

_'My mother imprisoned hundred of aliens.’_

_‘Many who deserved it, Kara.’_

_‘And many who did not.’ Kara said bitterly. ‘My mother always told me justice was more important than anything but look at what she did. What if she was corrupt like Astra said?’_

_‘Sweetheart, it does you no good to play these games.’_

_‘And my father.’ Kara’s voice cracked. ‘My father created a virus that could kill all aliens but Kryptonians. What if he had turned it against others rather than use it as a deterrent for invasion?’_

_Lena pulled Kara so that she was looking up at her. She cupped Kara’s face as if she could hold Kara together with this gesture. ‘You can’t live in what ifs. They are gone and you are here.’_

_Kara swallowed hard and continued as if she did not hear Lena. ‘What would I have become if Krypton still existed? Would I have been like them?’_

_‘If that was really who they were then no, you would not have been like them. Your heart is good, Kara. You are pure and good.’_

_‘But what if I ended up like them? What if I never knew that what they were doing was wrong? They were my parents after all.’_

_‘And we all become just like our parents?’ Lena raised an eyebrow._

_Kara groaned. She sat up and faced Lena. ‘That’s not what I meant. You are nothing like your family.’_

_‘Then why do you have to be?’_

_Kara was silent, lost in thought again. She ran her fingers over her family crest just beneath her shirt. ‘Is it odd that even though I know they did bad things, either on purpose or not, that I am still scared of being a disappointment? I feel like they are always looking down on me, watching every mistake. I’m so scared of being a disappointment.’_

_Lena leaned in and kissed Kara’s nose. ‘You are never going to be a disappointment.’ She punctuated each word with a kiss on Kara’s face._

“Disappointing your family,” she whispered. “And just like I told you that night, you’ve never been a disappointment and you never will be, Kara. I will always be at your side. I will always love you no matter what.”

“Lena?” Kara’s tears finally fell as she accepted the impossible. Somehow, by Rao, her Lena was right in front of her.

Lena softly laughed through her own tears and bent to kiss Kara’s face. “I told you it was me.” She wanted to scream with relief and joy because no matter what happened to them now they had each other. When their lips met Lena finally felt like she was home. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you. I’ve missed you so much, Lena.”

“Well isn’t this sweet?” Lex was back in the room flanked by a half dozen security personnel. In his hand was the black device that he had used against Kara earlier. Lena also noted the kryptonite blade in a sheath on his belt. “I hate to break this up but it is time for Supergirl to help me save the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally up! This is a bit of an awkward chapter because its setting up the ending. 
> 
> School gets out in two weeks but I hope finals won't slow me down too much. Thank you for sticking around - your comments and kudos are everything. 
> 
> As always, I read and edit myself so all typos and errors are my own fault.


	10. Chapter 10

Alex led the way out of the elevator, closely followed by Jess and Patrick. She had tasked Winn and Vasquez with moving their set-up from Lena’s office to Patrick’s private lab in the case that the FBI got into Lena’s office. The one good thing about Lena having been a Luthor, Alex thought, was that she really did know how to be secretive and stealthy. There was no way that the FBI would find all of the copies of their investigation that Winn and Vasquez had smuggled out before the FBI showed up at the DEO headquarters. As they approached, Alex noticed that L-Corp security had heeded Jess’ instructions to keep the FBI in the main lobby. They hadn’t even passed them through the security checkpoint. This seemed to have caused the argument between the lead investigator and the head of L-Corp security as Alex, Jess, and Patrick approached.

“I don’t give a damn who you are. I want Agent Danvers. Now.” The lead investigator, a grubby and irritable man, was in the face of L-Corp’s head of security, Thomas. Behind him, stood his team of four other agents, and J’onn and Maggie.

Alex smiled. If there was one person outside of Lena at L-Corp who you wouldn’t want to mess with it was Thomas. He was a large man, just over six feet tall and all muscle. He had previously been a Special Ops team leader and had joined L-Corp security division after being honorably discharged from the military. And he was insanely loyal to Lena and L-Corp.

“Agent Danvers is not to be disturbed at the moment,” Thomas calmly replied.

“I’m here, Thomas. Can I help you, Special Agent…?” Alex stood right next to Thomas, presenting a united front that indicated that the FBI would not proceed further into the building.

“Anders. Where are the documents, Danvers?” Anders face was a blotchy red from anger as he turned from Thomas to Alex. “You were ordered to turn everything over to the FBI.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Alex said politely.

Anders made the mistake of taking an aggressive step towards Alex only to run into the brick wall that was Thomas. He looked like he was about to hit Thomas but thought better of it smartly and stepped back. “The DEO was given direct orders to stop the investigation on the disappearance of Supergirl and turn over all documents. At least two pictures are missing and we suspect that Agents Schott and Vasquez made illegal copies of the other documents.”

Alex shrugged. “Again, I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve been here all night and know nothing about missing photographs or document copies. Are you sure you counted correctly?”

Alex saw Maggie snigger behind Anders’ back and Alex couldn’t help the slight upturn to her lips at the sight of the vein in Anders’ forehead pulsating in anger.

“Where are Agents Schott and Vasquez?” Anders question was shaky as he tried to control himself.

“I have no idea,” Alex repeated.

Anders turned to one of his colleagues who gave him a photograph. He shoved it into Alex’s hand. “Then explain this. This was taken two hours ago.”

The photograph showed Winn and Vasquez entering L-Corp’s lobby, equipment bags in tow. Alex handed it back to him looking unimpressed. “I can’t. I haven’t had contact with either of them. It’s nice to know that you are following us though.” She handed the photograph back to him and turned her next question to J’onn. “Did you know they were following us?”

J’onn gave Alex a look of warning. “I was unaware but will take it up with the President herself immediately.”

Anders rounded on J’onn at this. “And tell her how your entire organization is out of line. How you all are disobeying her direct orders.” At J’onn silence he turned back to Alex. “What are you all doing here then?” he demanded.

“Not that it is any of your business but I am here on my sister’s behalf. She owns the controlling share of L-Corp now and I’m helping to settle some issues after the passing of Ms. Luthor. As for Schott and Vasquez, I can’t speak to that.”

“Agents Schott and Vasquez are here at my request, Special Agent Anders.” Patrick stepped out from behind Alex and Thomas. “The DEO and L-Corp have been consulting with one another for a couple years now and I asked for Schott and Vasquez’s advice on a new prototype. I can call them down here if you’d like?”

Anders looked Patrick up and down in disgust. “No, you can take me to them.” He went to sidestep Alex and Thomas once again but a voice rang out that stopped him.

“I don’t think so, Special Agent Anders. You will need proper authorization to enter R & D.” Gabriela Sommerville had entered behind the FBI group, J’onn, and Maggie. She was closely followed by Travis Kaplan. As she approached Anders, she stuck out her hand for a handshake that Anders ignored. “Gabriela Sommerville. Head of L-Corp’s Legal Department.”

“I have orders from the –” Anders started.

“Do you have a warrant?” Gabriela interrupted. At the sight of his puce face she smiled sweetly and continued. “I thought not. You take one more step into the lobby without a warrant and I’ll bury you in more paperwork than your entire unit can handle.”

Anders studied Gaby’s face. She was small but extremely intimidating. Finally, he turned back to Alex once more. “This isn’t over, Danvers. I’ll be back.” And with that he turned and left, his team following silently behind him. J’onn gave Alex and knowing look before also following Anders out of the lobby.

Once they were gone, Gabriela turned to the group. “So why are we lying to the FBI exactly?”

Alex laughed. She knew that Gaby would go right along with their plan, no questions asked. When anything came to L-Corp or Lena the five people in front of her – Jess, Patrick, Gaby, Travis, and Thomas – were always there as support. “Let’s go down to Winn and Vasquez and we’ll get you briefed.”

************************************************************************************

“I hate to break this up but it is time for Supergirl to help me save the world.”

Kara felt Lena slip out of her arms. She tried to pull Lena back, wanting to protect her, but the kryptonite restraints prevented her from moving.

“I won’t let you hurt her,” Lena threatened. She stood between Kara and Lex, shielding Kara from whatever was about to happen.

Lex laughed at Lena’s defiance. “Who said anything about hurting her? I need her help.” He motioned with his hand for the security personnel to enter the room. Two of them grabbed Lena and pulled her away while the others surrounded the Kara’s gurney. “And who would stop me if I did? You?” He laughed at her again but Lena noticed how his left hand never left the handle of the kryptonite blade on his belt.

The security team unclipped the remaining straps across Kara’s body. Before removing her current set of cuffs, they added a newer type of restraint. Kara involuntarily recoiled at the additional kryptonite against her skin and couldn’t help the hiss of pain that escaped her lips. Lena made to jerk away from her guards, trying to get back to Kara, but was held tightly. Kara shook her head at Lena, trying to indicate that she was fine and to not push Lex and his men any further. She sat still, allowing them to do their business. Her new restraint connected her wrists with a thick bar of steel so that her arms were constantly kept at two feet apart. Once they pulled her to her feet, they shackled a similar device around her ankles and connected the two with a tight chain. Kara knew that she would be unable to fight or get away with how she was restrained.

The group made their way out of the makeshift hospital room. Lex led the way closely followed by Lena and her two flanking guards and, more slowly, Kara and the security team that surrounded her. Kara’s footsteps were difficult and clumsy because of the restraints and she had to concentrate a great deal at first not to topple sideways.

Lex led the group into a secure wing that Lena had never been allowed to enter. Using his fingerprint and a passkey, Lex opened the door to the room that was farthest down the darken wing. They entered into a small rectangular room with walls that were nearly completely covered in video surveillance monitors save for a section with a projector screen. In the middle of the room sat a large table, big enough to fit a ten people on each side of it. The room was empty except for Massey who stood at the end of the room next to the projector screen.

The guards forced Kara and Lena into chairs at the head of the table, facing the projector screen. They removed the restraints around Kara’s wrists and instead connected her ankle restraints to the table and her chair. Kara studied the footage on the monitors. Many screens showed scenes from laboratories, people working at different stations, some toiling about as they talked to one another, but some screens showed loading bays and security checkpoints. One particular screen made Kara’s heart drop. It was a live feed, or at least it appeared to be live, of a laboratory door. This would have been unremarkable like much of the footage on the other video monitors had it not had for the Kryptonese writing across the door. But it wasn’t just the writing that made Kara’s heart stutter, but also the House of El symbol that was prominent in the middle of the door. It was one of her father’s labs. But it couldn’t be. Krypton was gone – all of it had been destroyed.

“I take it you recognize the writing on the laboratory door?” Lex asked at the sight of Kara’s confused face. He joined Massey at the other end of the table and quickly keyed in a command on the wireless keyboard. Every monitor in the room now showed the same footage of the laboratory door. “This facility was built by your father, under the direction of your father, and financed by your father. As far as I can tell, the facility itself can only be opened by those with direct authorization from your father.”

Kara felt Lena take her hand. She hadn’t realized it was trembling until Lena’s cold fingers intertwined with her own. Lena brought Kara’s hand over into her lap where she squeezed it tightly trying her best to comfort Kara.

“I don’t understand. Krypton was completely destroyed...” Kara whispered in disbelief.

“This facility wasn’t on Krypton. It was a separate planet, one that your father attempted to inhabit with Kryptonians before Krypton’s destruction by establishing it as a science colony.”

Kara swallowed hard. Another planet of Kryptonians? Her and Kal were not the only ones left in the universe.

“Your father called it the Planet of Light,” Lex continued. “Following in his footsteps I’ve named it Aletheia. What’s left of it that is.”

“Left of it?”

“Unfortunately your father could not or did not accurately predict the reach of Krypton’s destruction,” he gestured to the screens, “and it was devastated by a kryptonite meteor shower.”

Lex grabbed a set of photographs and tossed them down in front of Kara. They were satellite images of what Kara guessed was the Planet of Light. She slowly flipped through them as Lex continued. “These images show the main facility – the one where this laboratory is housed specifically.” He indicated to the screens again. “Most of the structures are intact and seem to be operational.”

“How do you know all of this? How did you find it?”

“Your cousin. The only smart thing he has done has been to keep your identity a secret.” Lex sat himself in a chair halfway down the table. He put his feet up and leaned back casually. “Your cousin may have superpowers but he didn’t inherit your family’s intelligence – or maybe being raised on earth kept him from his full potential. Either way, he needed my help to unlock many of the secrets he found in the Fortress of Solitude – the scout ship that your pods followed. I know more about Krypton than he’ll ever know. Apparently more than you as well.”

“She was thirteen when she left. You can’t expect a child to know everything.” Lena contended.

“No, but I think she knows more than she is letting on. Have you really forgotten, Kara? Forgotten who you were? What you were to become on Krypton?”

************************************************************************************

_From her seat in the balcony with the other twelve year olds, Kara could see her parents in the third row of the auditorium, just behind the Council of Krypton. Her father, Zor-El, leader of the Science guild as indicated by his navy blue epaulets, sat in the middle of the row. Alura, her mother, with her deep red epaulets – an indication of her status as one of Krypton’s leading members of the Justice guild – was at his side. The seating was a place of honor. The House of El had risen to great prominence in the last two generations due to important contributions to Kryptonian society as well as carefully arranged marriages that not only united many of the great houses of Krypton but the guilds as well. In the row behind her parents and the other members of the House of El were her maternal family members, the House of Ze, as well as the House of Van - her Aunt Lara’s birth house, each having risen with the House of El by marriage._

_The auditorium was precisely arranged: the children seated in the upper decks, away from the rest of the population, and the adults, separated by nobility of house, were on the main floor, each member’s colored epaulets the only indication of their professional status. One day a year all of the populace of Krypton – save for the Labor guild – came to the capital for the Ceremony of Adulthood. Every twelve year old on the planet would receive their profession assignment during the ceremony and then start their appropriate training. Kara swallowed hard, feeling once again the incredible burden of the House of El crest on her chest. But as her eyes travelled along the row and she noticed her uncle, Jor-El, and Aunt Lara, she was a bit relieved. Lara had just given birth to a baby boy, Kal-El, days before and Kara told herself again that before too long the burden of the great House of El would be shared._

_The Chief of the Council stood from his seat and slowly walked to the stage, the audience becoming more and more silent with every step he took toward the podium. Kara took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Today she would become an adult. Today she would represent the newest generation of the House of El. Today, more than any other, she felt the weight of the future._

_‘This is the time,’ the Chief began, ‘that young Kryptonians join society in their respected profession. The Ceremony of Adulthood is one of the most important events that a Kryptonian will experience in life. In your short lives,’ he looked up at the balcony of twelve year olds and continued, ‘you have been given the opportunity to experience the many different guilds that are housed within our society and many of you have found your calling. However, as is our custom, your potential has been closely monitored during these last twelve years of your life and the Council has determined your future paths according to your individual potential.’ He paused here for dramatic effect looking first around the auditorium and then back up at their balcony. ‘Today we honor that potential. May your strengths guide Krypton in the light of Rao.’_

_The entire auditorium murmured, ‘In the light of Rao.’_

_‘I would now ask that the twelve year olds join me on stage along with the appointed representative from each of our fine guilds.’_

_The silence of the auditorium was broken with the sound of the twelve year olds rising from their seats. Kara remained rooted in her seat, however, the dread of what was to come pulling her down. As the Chief had said, many of the other twelve year olds knew exactly what they were to become. Many of them had a natural calling to a specific guild and had therefore spent the majority of their time in those guilds, observing, learning, and practicing. But Kara had taken an interest in all of the guilds. During her childhood she had spent her time evenly across the many disciplines and, for the most part, liked a great deal about them. Whether it was studying the law or painting, tracing the history of the worship of Rao or studying a new organism under a microscope, Kara had loved it all. If she was honest with herself she wanted to do it all, she wanted to be a bit of everything._

_She looked down to her family once again. Her father was the representative for the Science guild and therefore had left his seat to join the other representatives on the stage. She watched her mother turn in her seat to talk to her Uncle Jor-El, completely oblivious to the hold up that Kara was causing in the balcony above her. Panic swelled in Kara’s chest. What if she was given an assignment that made her parents unhappy? Being the daughter of two of the most prominent Kryptonians was stressful and she knew they had high expectations of her. What if she was a disappointment to her father’s house that housed a long line of scientists? Her eyes finally fell on her Aunt Astra, her mother’s twin, who had looked up to the balcony. Astra blew her a kiss and nodded in encouragement. Kara tried to smile back but could barely swallow the bile that had risen in her throat._

_After a series of deep breaths, Kara stood and joined the last of the twelve year olds as they were ushered down the stairs from the balcony. The group descended from the balcony, and then trucked through the far section of the main floor before they finally made their way up on to the stage. They had been instructed before the ceremony to form three lines and they did so without issue. Another hush fell over the audience as the last twelve year old fell into line._

_The Chief, who had watched the parade on to the stage silently, took to the podium again and began the official ceremony. Each twelve year old was called forth and expected to join the Chief at the front of the stage. There, the Chief gave a brief overview of the child’s life and some indication of the reasoning behind the Council’s ultimate choice of profession. Kara felt her skin break out in goose bumps as the first child, a boy by the name of Kai-Et, was called forward. A brief ancestry summary for Kai-Et was given and then the Chief spoke of Kai-Et’s dedication to the study of the history of Krypton and of his organizational skills. After this summary he was given a place in the Religion guild because of those interests and talents. The audience politely clapped as Kai-Et shook the Chief’s hand and made his way to his new guild’s representative where purple epaulets was fixed onto both shoulders of his gray tunic._

_Kara listened as one by one each twelve year old was presented to the populace of Krypton and joined the adult world. She clapped automatically for each of her counterparts, barely bringing her hands together in the forced gesture. And then too suddenly her name was called. She had practiced for days on a confident walk, not wanting to show any weakness or any sign of the uncertainty that was raging within her. But as the Chief called her name all that practice was forgotten. She had to will one foot in front of the other. She knew she came off as uneasy and clumsy, but she made it to the Chief’s side as eloquently as her nerves would let her._

_‘Kara Zor-El. First born of the newest generation of the House of El –’_

_Kara visibly swallowed, her familial pressure pressing further down as if it had taken on a greater strength at being spoken into the microphone. It seemed much more real with the bright lights in her face and the echoes of the Chief’s words swirling about her._

_‘Daughter of Zor-El and Alura, daughter of the House of Ze. Kara demonstrated a thirst for knowledge unlike anything we have seen in recent history. As all of you know, each twelve year old is required to take an examination at the end of their childhood - an examination that tests each child on the things they have learned from their guild work. As often is the case, we see children score high in one or two guild tests and these as general indicators, along with the Council’s observational data, of the profession that child is destined for. And though she does not know this yet,’ he paused here and wrapped his arm around Kara’s shoulder, ‘it was told to the Council earlier today that Kara now holds the record for the highest score on the exit examination in Krypton’s history!’ A collective gasp and then applause broke out in the audience. ‘Kara not only passed but exceed the satisfactory indicators for every guild’s test.’ More applause broke out and Kara could feel her cheeks redden at this attention. The Chief held up his hand for silence and continued. ‘Her eagerness to learn about every guild was very apparent to the Council without her examination score but this result solidified in our minds the potential Kara has.’_

_Kara shook during the rest of the summary. She kept her eyes up at the balconies of children, envying them in their innocence. She dared not look to her family, fearing that she may actually collapse if she made eye contact with them. It seemed as if hours had passed before the Chief got to her profession reveal._

_‘And so, it is with great pleasure that the Council has selected Kara Zor-El to join the Science guild. May you follow in the footsteps of your father and his father before him. You are the future of Krypton.’_

_Another round of applause broke out as Kara hastily shook the Chief’s hand and made her way to her father unsteadily._

_Zor-El had a gleam in his eye as he attached her blue epaulets to her tunic and then brought her in for a hug. As he pulled back, he cupped her face and whispered, ‘This is one of the proudest moments of my life, Little One.’_

_Kara smiled as she felt some of the weight lift. For now, she was not a disappointment._

************************************************************************************

_‘Zor-El, please! You must stop this!’_

_Kara barely opened her eyes at the hushed whisper of her mother’s voice. She had been sleeping with her back toward her bedroom door but she could tell that it had been cracked open by the sliver of light that adorned the opposite wall. She lay completely still, trying to keep her breath even as she listened._

_‘I cannot stop, Alura. Krypton is doomed! There is no stopping it now.’ And as if the planet itself wanted to help make Zor-El’s point, an earthquake fiercely shook their residence._

_‘I have covered for you for the last thirteen years,’ Alura hissed. ‘I have lied and altered records. I should be serving ten life sentences in the Phantom Zone for the things I’ve done for you and that colony!’_

_‘Do you want Kara to die? Because that is what will happen. This colony will help Kara recreate Kryptonian society. It will help her live!’_

_‘I am not sending my only child to an uninhabited planet!’_

_‘My most trusted team left an hour ago. She won’t be alone,’_

_‘They are not family, Zor-El. What about your brother? What about Kal-El?’_

_‘I have told Jor-El time and time again that Earth is no place for a Kryptonian. The humans are not advanced enough yet. Kara will never make it back. And she needs to come back. If he wants to send his own son there, then fine.’_

_‘You will let your infant nephew go to Earth alone, but not your daughter? Two surviving members of the House of El together are better than them being light years apart. Kal-El may never even learn his ancestry without Kara.’_

_‘Jor-El has made his choice. And I have helped him program the scout ship with everything Kal-El could ever need.’_

_‘And I have made mine! Kara is brilliant. She will find the colony from Earth. I feel it in my heart. Earth is far enough away from our enemies. She will be safer there than anywhere in our galaxy.’_

_Zor-El sighed irritably but before he could speak again, he was interrupted by a third voice that Kara recognized as her uncle._

_‘The scout ship has left for Earth. We are about to send Kal-El now. Please send Kara with him, Zor-El. Please.’ Kara could hear the desperation in Jor-El’s voice._

_Another earthquake shook Krypton, this one was deeper than any of the others that had been occurring almost hourly in the past few months. Kara could hear screams outside her window mixed with the rumble of the ground. Her heart was pounding in her chest, every nerve seemed to be in tune with the electricity of the situation at hand as she laid there in the tense silence._

_‘Go wake her,’ Zor-El commanded._

_‘Thank you, brother.’_

************************************************************************************

_Kara watched as the substance left the syringe and entered her arm at the point of the needle. ‘Your pod’s coordinates are interlocked with Kal-El’s. You will follow him to Earth.’ Zor-El gently pulled the needle out of her arm and tossed it aside._

_‘I’m not afraid, Father.’ And for the first time in her life Kara meant it. A sense of duty seemed to wash away any fear she should have._

_‘Zor-El! The pod’s launching system is jammed!’ Jor-El was down on his knees, uncovering the base of Kal-El’s pod in an effort to find the cause of the system error. Zor-El rushed over to help, leaving Alura alone with Kara._

_‘The trip is long but you will sleep most of the way and we will be with you in your dreams.’ Alura tucked Kara’s hair behind her ears and took her hands into her own. ‘You’ll journey to Earth to look after Kal-El. Because of the Earth’s yellow sun you’ll have great powers on this planet. You’ll do extraordinary things. Your father and uncle have stored everything you could possibly need in the scout ship. Find it.’_

_‘I won’t fail Kal-El. Or you.’_

_‘I love you, Kara.’ Alura placed a kiss on her forehead. ‘I love you, my sweet child.’_

_‘Get her in the pod!’ Zor-El screamed back at Alura as another earthquake ravaged the launch tunnel and the ceiling began to crumble down upon them._

_Kara tightly hugged her mother and was disappointed when Alura pulled back and pushed Kara away from her. ‘Go! Kara, you must go!’_

_Kara climbed into her pod just as a boulder crashed down between her pod and Kal-El’s. She watched as her father and uncle reattached the base of Kal-El’s pod. Within seconds, Kal-El’s pod tilted up and was then launched from the tunnel out of Krypton’s atmosphere. Kara then felt her own pod begin to rumble as the dashboard lit up, the autopilot sequence already taking over._

_She looked once more to her mother and then to her father who had raced back to her pod. Zor-El pressed his hand to the glass and shouted something. But Kara could not hear him over the buzzing of her pod and the now constant thunder of the planet as it rumbled. Zor-El repeated himself but Kara only shook her head, still unsure of what he was saying._

_‘Find the Planet of Light.’_

************************************************************************************

“Again, what makes you think that I know how to access the facility?” Kara asked.

“The last transmission received by the colony from Krypton was from your father. It said, and I quote, ‘Little One is carrying the enzyme. She will find you - be prepared when she arrives.’

Kara closed her eyes. She had stopped wondering years ago what her father had shouted at her right before her pod left. As she replayed the memory in her mind, she could see her father’s face so clearly and it was almost as if she could finally hear him after all these years.

_‘Find the Planet of Light.’_

Lex’s voice interrupted her memory. “Someone wiped you from Krypton’s ancestry database. I don’t know if it was Clark or your parents. But I knew a child of Zor-El had to exist. In the years and years of journals I discovered of your father’s, the thousand of entries, he mentions ‘Little One’ constantly. Little One’s achievements, the day Little One broke their arm, the day Little One joined the Science guild. I knew you existed but had no method of finding you. Clark never said anything and I often wondered if he knew that you had been sent with him. But then, four years ago you revealed yourself finally. Once hidden daughter of Zor-El, it could not be a coincidence. I knew if I found you then I would find the enzyme. And once I found the facility I knew you’d be able to open it. You who should have become the smartest Kryptonian, who had already been trained in the Science guild and given clearance to your father’s own work. You are my key, Kara Zor-El.”

Kara glanced over at Lena who was staring at her in awe, a pride pouring out of her eyes that she had never experienced before. Lena squeezed her hand again.

“I don’t have the enzyme and I have no idea how to access the facility,” Kara repeated. She knew the DEO had recovered her pod and therefore the enzyme must be there. As for the facility, she had a suspicion on how to open it but it would require her physically being there. And at this time, travel to that distant of a planet was not possible without a working transporter.

“Oh, I already have the enzyme.” Lex reached into his pocket and brought out a small vile of blood. “This is why we had to wait for the kryptonite to leave your system. Kryptonite – nasty business. Always muddying things up.” His face turned into a snarl.

The injection. Kara had assumed that her father had injected her with something to make her sleep on her journey to Earth, or something to help her system adapted to Earth’s yellow sun. But now she realized it must have been the enzyme.

“Your father was smart, injecting it inside you rather than merely giving it to you to keep. Much safer within you. It was preserved while you slept and your bodily changes under our yellow sun has kept up that preservation,” Lex continued. “Now, I just need you to open the facility so I can access the original Medusa virus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I read and edit myself so all typos and errors are my own fault.


	11. Chapter 11

In Patrick’s sub-basement laboratory conference room, Winn and Vasquez had already set-up their traveling command center again and had Gaby and Travis’ debriefing underway as Alex entered the room. She had hung back with Thomas after the encounter with the FBI and reviewed L-Corp’s security procedures for officially tracking lost property while Gaby and Travis had gone on without her. Normally it would have been a debriefing that she herself would have handled but the stress of this investigation, not knowing where Kara was or what state she would be in once they found her, was slowly breaking her down.

Vasquez broke off as Alex joined the group at the conference table. There was a brief, awkward moment as Gaby and Travis looked to Alex with sadden eyes, both reliving the loss of Lena all over again with this news of Kara. Finally Gaby stood and embraced Alex.

“We’ll find her, Alex.” Gaby squeezed Alex tightly.

All Alex could do was nod back. She turned to the rest of the room. “I appreciate all of your support and help with this,” Alex said, “but we’re going to have to work faster. They’ve had her too long. I can’t imagine what they are doing to her. And the longer they have her...”

Travis, in his small and quiet voice, finally spoke up. “Are we sure this has something to do with L-Corp? Staging Lena’s death, that is...that is just…” He exhaled deeply and pushed out with his hands as if merely completing the sentence was too much effort.

Alex often forgot that out of Lena’s trusted group, Travis was by far the most naive. Not necessarily in a bad way, but as an accountant he was more concerned with numbers rather than people. He rarely was involved in the politics like Lena and Gaby were, for example. “I know this seems like a stretch but my gut says it is all connected. I think we’ve stumbled onto a much bigger plot.” Alex drifted over to Vasquez and Winn. “But Vasquez was right earlier. Lena’s death had to be a massive cover up. Whether or not it's related to Kara, I just don’t know. But it _feels_ connected. I just wonder what else we don’t know, what other signs have we missed?”

“So what’s the plan? What do you want us to do?” Gaby asked.

Alex thought for a minute. There were several things that needed to happen and happen fast. They would do best to split up and get as much information as possible in as little time as possible, especially with the FBI sniffing around. “We need to do this quickly and quietly: Vasquez and I are going down to the hospital and are going to try to identify the red-haired man.”

“The hospital?” Winn asked.

“In the picture of Lena’s accident,” Alex flipped through the debriefing materials on the table and found the correct photograph, “it looks like he is wearing navy blue scrubs. They took Lena to National City Memorial so we’re going to start there.” She had had the epiphany about the man’s outfit earlier as she was trying to connect the possible pieces of Kara’s disappearance. She gave Vasquez the picture and continued. “Winn, find out more about that altered footage of Lena’s accident. Rogers I need you to work on –”

“Caeneus. I’m on it.” He quickly left the room and headed to the elevator.

“Gaby and Travis, I need you both, with the help of Jess, to keep the FBI out of L-Corp, at least until we can figure out why the DEO’s investigation was stopped. And I need you all to start going through everything here. Purchasing, selling, all money and products in and out of here. Especially anything that deals with Caeneus. LuthorCorp was once a front for Cadmus so see if you can find any indication that someone here is still funneling things out of the company to them. Anything that looks odd, flag it and look into it. But be discreet – I don’t want to raise suspicions if something is going on.”

************************************************************************************

“That could be Dr. Hendricks. It’s hard to tell from this photo – I can’t really make out the face.” The nurse took one more look and shrugged before handing the photograph back to Alex. “What’s this about again?”

Alex put on her sweetest smile and flashed her fake FBI badge. “We are trying to find all of the individuals who were there at the scene, just to wrap up some paperwork. You think this might be doctor…?”

“Hendricks. Oh, Craig Hendricks,” the nurse replied as she picked up on Alex’s question.

“Do you know where we can find him?” Vasquez asked.

“Today is your lucky day. Dr. Hendricks has privileges here and is doing some lab work for the night. You’ll most likely find him up on the fourth floor.” The nurse picked up a clipboard from the counter and removed a pen from her pocket, already moving on from the conversation because of her busy schedule.

“Thank you so much!” Alex’s sweet demeanor melted as the nurse walked off. She turned to Vasquez. “Call it in to Winn. Let’s find out who Hendricks is before we go upstairs.”

Vasquez nodded and pulled out her phone while Alex studied the floor directory for the hospital, planning their confrontation with Hendricks. The phone call took ten minutes, with Vasquez frequently checking the information attachments Winn was sending her.

“Dr. Craig Hendricks is a clinical biochemical geneticist. He was born and raised in Connecticut. He is single, no kids. His medical degree is from Metropolis University.” Vasquez recited after she hung up from her call with Winn.

Alex’s brow narrowed as she tried to fit this information into her theories about Kara’s disappearance or Lena’s death. “Okay. Why is he here at the hospital?”

Vasquez continued, “He’s conducting a clinical trial so he’s in and out of the hospital for that. He also lends a hand, apparently, when the hospital is short staffed.”

Alex sighed. “This is sounding like a dead end.”

Vasquez smiled. “No we are onto something. Get this: Hendricks moved to National City one week after Lena moved the headquarters of LuthorCorp here. And he was working for some sort of government project before the move.”

“What kind of government project?” Alex asked as she hit the up button on the elevator.

“Winn doesn’t know exactly because he couldn’t access the files. But, he did find a public record for grant funding referencing the same project. Guess who the Principal Investigator was?”

“Who?”

“Lionel Luthor.”

Alex entered the elevator and hit the fourth floor button. “We are onto something.”

************************************************************************************

“All of Isotope 454 is gone. The Medusa virus will be useless on a widespread scale without it,” Lena stated. “Whatever your plan, it's already failed.”

 

“Is it _all_ gone, Lena?” Lex slipped his feet off the table and then stood. “You mean to tell me that my bleeding heart sister who only wants to do good in the world, who wants to save humanity, destroyed all of the stores of an isotope that could potentially be used to save Earth? Not likely.”

Lena pursed her lips. She had never had any doubts in her mind about keeping some of Isotope 454. From the first time she realized the potential good for the isotope and the many other projects created by L-Corp’s research teams, the only question in her mind was how to protect these creations from the likes of people like Lillian and Lex.

It had taken her too long to realize that she inherited a company with thousands of employees who may or may not be loyal to her, who may or may not support her decision to change the direction of the company. She had become accustomed to the fights in the executive suites and conference rooms with her board as so many of them were transparent with their opinions of her. She made them respect her, at the very least, even if they weren’t loyal to her cause. Perhaps that was the one good thing that came from being raised as the unloved adopted child of Lillian - she could turn cold, be intimidating. And her intelligence could bring those who argued with her to their knees. It had taken years for her to gain control of her own board, mainly because of Lillian’s place within the organization after Lionel’s death, but she had done it. She had used her traits to solidify her CEO persona and had successfully changed L-Corp’s direction.

But at the lower levels of business, from the support staff to the researchers, she could not guarantee loyalty. She had inherited a legacy that was already in motion. There was no way to stop it, to put on the brakes of the great LuthorCorp machine, and vet every employee on their loyalty. And that was just the individuals on the inside – there were hundreds of thousands of other corporations, scientists, politicians, and governments who were potential threats. Now, observing Lex’s cockiness and his confidence in knowing about _her_ company, it was blatantly obvious that she had indeed failed. She had barely been able to render Isotope 454 inert the first time around and she hadn’t been able to keep Caeneus out of unwanted hands. She was faced with the realization that she was losing the battle of protecting L-Corp and its interests.

“Well it's not like I can just stroll into L-Corp, back from the dead, and get it for you. And I am the only one there who knows where it is – in case you are thinking about going in yourself.”

Lex smiled at her like he pitied her. “I don’t need your personal stores. I just need the formulas which I assume are somewhere on L-Corp’s servers, yes?”

“Why?” Kara’s voice was soft, barely more than a whisper, but was effective in breaking the argument between the siblings. “After all of these years you still want aliens dead. You were Clark’s friend and then you...weren’t. I’ve never understood it. Why?”

Lex looked at her in confusion, as if no one previously had asked him that very same question, like he himself had not thought about it. But then the darkness crept back into his eyes and he focused them on Kara like a predator to prey. “I realized that the day Earth would be targeted by an alien army was fast approaching. I tried desperately to convince my father of this. He was politically connected and had governmental contracts that could be used to start our defense...” He began to pace the room, a professor lecturing his pupils. “He wouldn’t listen. He was too busy mentoring my kid sister and trying the save the world from itself. But I knew, _I knew_ , that before we could save the planet from itself that we would first need to save it from external threats.”

“Like me? Like Clark, your best friend?”

“The more I studied your father’s journals and the history of Krypton, the more I realized that your father and Krypton’s Science Council were right: isolationism is the answer. At least for the time being. Prevent alien races from inhabiting earth, use Kryptonian technology to improve the human race, to build up an enhanced human army, and then…” He looked across the room into nothingness.

“You abandon isolationism in favor of conquering.” Lena rolled her eyes. It was strategy her father and grandfather had used effectively at the beginning of LuthorCorp. “And then what do you do to the worlds you conquer? With the lives you would then ‘control’?”

“Unite them and continue to push forward,” Lex stated simply.

“And if they resist? What makes you think any alien race would submit to humans?”

“That was where Clark came in. He was going to be the bridge between us and aliens.” He gestured between himself and Lena and then to Kara as if anyone in the room needed reminding that Kara was the outlier. “Kryptonians were highly respected. And feared. We had started to locate aliens here on earth, question them about their planets – the politics, society structure, et cetera… Oh Lena you will love it! It’s like chess with more intricacies and layers. So much more meta-game. You have to take in so much information, analyze it, to come up with the perfect plan.” Lex was suddenly giddy. It reminded Lena of his early teenage years when he was in his self-built lab inventing away. “Think about it: we unite the world, bring together the top minds – science, mathematics, anthropology, psychology, medicine – and turn to the skies. We could unite this whole galaxy. And then the next, and the next.”

Lena started laughing. It was almost cruel in a way. “You’ve never really been an egalitarian so you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t buy into your plan. You say unite but all I hear is conquer and enslave. And how do you plan to do this in one lifetime? Hmm? It could take hundreds of years to unite the people of earth. You’ve really lost it, Lex.”

“You know, Lena, I never realized how similar you and Clark were until now.” His voice was raised in frustration. “But it doesn’t matter what you think. Or what Clark thinks. You can both be easily controlled.”

“You’re truly a fucking idiot if you think I would help you.”

“Oh you will. I assure you – you will help me. You see, just like Clark, you will do everything in your power to do anything the love of your life asks for. It’s quite pathetic actually. But useful nonetheless.”

Lena gave Lex an incredulous look. “Clark refused to help you. What makes you think Kara would?” She looked to Kara for confirmation but swallowed hard as she noticed the wetness to Kara’s eyes, how she was staring at an unremarkable spot on the table in front of her. Kara looked scared, haunted by something in her mind.

Lex sat down in the chair on the other side of Kara. He studied her profile before looking past her to Lena. “Because unlike Clark, Kara knows what is in her father’s lab. And she knows what we could do. She knows the possibilities that are just in front of us.” He tilted his head in front of Kara and caught her eye. “All we have to do is reach out and take it.” He then leaned closer to Kara, his mouth right against her ear so that Lena could not hear his next words. “You could have her forever, you know? Your love wouldn’t be bound by quantities in human measures. What’s a lifetime when you can have forever? With her, your sister, your friends. You could even have biological children with her. You know it, don’t you? We could build New Krypton just like your father intended,” he whispered.

Lena watched a single tear roll down Kara’s cheek. “Kara?”

All she found in Kara’s eyes when she turned and faced her was sadness. The same sadness that Kara had in her eyes on the nights Lena lost her to the sunset, to the memories of Krypton. But there was also an element of resolve underneath the sadness and it was that resolve that terrified Lena.

“Take them to their rooms,” Lex ordered as he stood. He placed a hand on Kara’s shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. “I’ll let you think about it for the night.”

************************************************************************************

“Dr. Hendricks?” Alex approached the red-haired man, cautiously but confidently.

“Yes?”

“I’m Special Agent Danvers. This is Special Agent Vasquez. We’re with the FBI.” She flashed her modified badge at him. She noticed that he didn’t even bother to look at it. Instead, his eyes swept the hallway as if he was looking for an escape. “Could we speak with you for a few moments? Perhaps, somewhere privately?” The hallway was practically empty, most patients asleep and the staff minimal given the late hour but she wanted to make this seem as official as possible.

Hendricks took another glance down the hallway before responding. “Uh yes. Of course. Right this way.” He pointed to an empty room behind the central nurses’ station of the floor. “What’s this about?”

“We just need to ask you a few questions about an accident you witnessed,” Alex stated coldly but politely as she trailed him.

Vasquez entered the room first, scoping it out. Hendricks followed her in with Alex bringing up the rear. Hendricks sat at one of the computer stations, gesturing for them to do the same. Alex took a seat but Vasquez, after pacing once around the room, stood guard at the door.

“You uh...you guys are really burning the midnight oil, huh? I didn’t realize the FBI had a dedicated night shift.” He laughed awkwardly as he looked between the two. “I...I don’t really remember witnessing an accident,” Hendricks got serious when his joke fell flat.

Alex pulled out the photograph from Lena’s accident and handed it to him. “This was several months ago, just a few blocks away.”

Hendricks barely looked at the photograph before handing it back to her. “Right. I was out getting coffee, heard the sirens and ventured over. By the time I got there they were wrapping up so I didn’t really see what happened.” Before Alex could respond, a phone started ringing. Hendricks quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He silenced it and placed it on the desk right next to him. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay. We’re not really concerned about the accident itself,” Alex continued. “Although it is interesting that you once were on contract with Lionel Luthor and that was the accident that his daughter was tragically killed in.”

“I…” he scratched at his neck, “I had heard that she, that Lena, had died. I didn’t realize that was the same accident. It was a shame,” he grimaced. “She was a lovely girl. Brilliant, really. I met her a couple of times back in Metropolis.”

“That she was.” Alex shifted in her chair and held the picture out to him again. “Do you remember if you recognized any of the EMTs at the scene?” Her eyes never left his face, studying for any indication of foul play.

“I don’t usually work with EMTs so I don’t really know any of them. I just happened to be at the hospital that day for my clinical trial. I pretty much stay in my lab.”

“Of course. Well, we appreciate your time and your help.” Alex stood and nodded at Vasquez who turned and opened the door. “If you’ll...Oh I’m sorry.” Alex bumped into Hendricks as she leaned across the desk, grabbing a pen from the cup holder. She laughed awkwardly at herself. “I’m out of business cards so I hope,” she said as she wrote a phone number on the small notepad she had been taking notes on, “that you’ll pardon the handwriting. But here is our number if you do remember anything.”

Hendricks smiled at her as he took the piece of paper. “Of course. Good luck with your investigation.” He picked up his phone, not noticing that it was a half an inch further away from him than it was previously, and placed it back into his pocket. “You both have a goodnight.”

Alex and Vasquez made their way back to the elevator in silence. Once the doors closed and they were alone, Alex pulled out her own phone and called Winn. “The tracker is on his phone, pull it up. He’s our guy.”

************************************************************************************

Lena walked through the open door to the room she had been forced to stay in since her capture. She was five steps in when she heard the door slam shut. Realizing that she was alone, that Kara had not followed her in, she ran back to the door and banged loudly on it. “Hey!”

She slammed the palms of her hands into the door once more before a new light caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. What she had once thought was a simple observation window for Lex and his minions, was actually a window to the next room. She watched as Kara hesitantly took two steps in, kryptonite cuffs still around her wrists and ankles, and studied her own room. Lena noticed it was identical to her own, even down to the same food tray that had been left on the side table.

“Kara?”

At the sound of her name, Kara turned to the window and briefly glanced at Lena. But she quickly broke their eye contact and bowed her. She then moved to the cot and climbed up on it, her back against wall at the head of the makeshift bed. Lena watched as Kara pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself as best as she could with the restraints before resting her forehead on top of her knees. She looked so small, so fragile. And then her body began to shake with her crying.

“Kara?” Lena tapped on the window between their rooms, desperate to get her fiancée’s attention. “I know you can hear me, even though I can’t hear you. I don’t know what he said to you but you can’t listen to him! He will say anything, do anything, to get what he wants. You can’t give in!”

Lena stood there, at the window, for several minutes waiting for some response from Kara but it never came. She finally resigned herself to her own cot, lying there watching Kara continue to tremble before sleep took her.

************************************************************************************

_‘We go on three. And I’ll count us down. Understand?’ Alex gritted through her teeth. She pointed her finger angrily across the table right at Kara’s face, threatening the younger Danvers._

_‘I understand, Alex. This isn’t my first time, you know.’ Kara threw her napkin into her plate and sat up straighter in her chair. ‘Best out of three?’_

_Lena finished her sip of wine and sat her glass down, confusion and worry written across her face at this sudden change in Kara and Alex. She looked across the table to Maggie suddenly concerned that she had missed a crucial piece of information. They had just finished a wonderful Christmas dinner. It was Lena’s first family holiday with the Danvers and really her first family holiday in years. Eliza had left the table to finish preparing the living room for their gift opening, leaving the two siblings and their girlfriends in the dining room. The elder Danvers had barely made it out of the room before the two siblings had turned on one another. ‘What is happening?’_

_Maggie drained her own wine glass and rolled her eyes at the sisters. ‘Every Christmas Eliza busts out the baby pictures and tells stories of Alex and Kara growing up.’_

_Lena waited for further elaboration because what Maggie just said didn’t sound like an occasion for such hostility. ‘I’m sorry. I still don’t understand,’ Lena said, now even more confused._

_‘Mom gushes over how adorable I was as a baby,’ Alex exhaled irritably._

_‘And then she always gets sad because she doesn’t have any baby pictures of me,’ Kara added._

_‘Which always leads to the what was once a sly_ – _’ Alex continued._

_‘But is so not subtle anymore_ – _’ Kara groaned._

_‘Declaration that she needs grandbabies to fill her picture books with and buy presents for,’ Alex concluded._

_Lena laughed at this performance. Clearly the sisters had presented this holiday ritual before. ‘That doesn’t sound so bad. Wanting grandchildren is a natural urge at her age.’_

_‘Luthor, stop going soft on me.’ Alex waved her hand dismissively at Lena and looked back to Kara. ‘Alright focus. Best out of three. And no cheating!’_

_Kara gave what was supposed to be a sweet and innocent smile but that was really a very mischievous and devilish smirk as if she had cheated before to get out of grandbaby talk._

_‘One...two...three...shoot!’_

_Both sisters bounced their fists on the table in time with Alex’s countdown and then made their choices on ‘shoot’. Kara kept her hand in a fist while Alex threw the sign for scissors._

_‘Fuck,’ Alex grimaced while Kara laughed._

_‘Rock, paper, scissors? Really?’ Lena started laughing again at the sisters’ maturity or lack thereof. ‘So if you win…?’_

_‘Winner cleans the kitchen and loser has to suffer through the baby mess,’ Kara stated, not taking her eyes off of Alex._

_Alex and Kara reset and went through the second round which Alex won. Kara jumped from her chair at the loss and started bouncing on the balls of her feet, shaking her hands out like she was trying to rid herself of a demon. Alex smirked as she rolled her shoulders and then cracked her knuckles._

_‘This has to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen you two do. And I’ve seen you both drunk,’ Lena scoffed._

_Maggie swayed her head back and forth, her eyebrows raised as she racked her brain of the other dumb things the sisters had done. ‘Yeah, it’s up there.’_

_Kara sat back down and took a deep breath, getting ready for the last round._

_Alex put out her fist and started the countdown. ‘One...two…’_

_‘Wait!’ Kara exclaimed. ‘Wait,’ she repeated softer. There was a cruel smile across her face._

_Alex narrowed her eyes at Kara, suspicious of the interruption. The two sisters studied one another in silence._

_Lena was always amazed at their ability to communicate without words. It was almost like they were twins, attuned with one another’s thoughts and feelings. There had been several times where one of them had simply provided a look and the other had immediately picked up on the plan or request._

_Kara raised her eyebrow at Alex and then smirked again. This caused Alex to wink back at her sister with a small satisfied grin across her face. Both sisters took their fists off the table and relaxed in their chairs._

_Lena was just about to ask about this sudden change when Eliza came back into the room. ‘Girls! Come on out to the living room!’_

_The four women got up from the table. Kara pulled Lena’s chair out for her and placed her hand on her girlfriend’s back as she ushered her toward the living room. She gestured for Lena to take the seat next to Eliza who was already sat on the couch, several photo albums in her lap, and she took up residence on the arm of the couch. Maggie and Alex joined the group on the other side of Eliza._

_But before Alex could fully sit, she jumped back up and started to back out of the room. ‘You know, Kara and I are gonna get the kitchen all cleaned up. For all of us.’_

_Kara feigned surprise, as if Alex had just come up with the best idea ever. ‘Yes! Then we can play games after we open presents!’ She too moved quickly from her seat and joined Alex at the doorway._

_‘Oh you girls are so sweet!’ Eliza smiled at them both before turning back to Maggie and Lena, handing them each an album._

_Lena rolled her eyes at the pair but eagerly started listening to Eliza as she opened the first album._

_Maggie, however, glared at the sisters as they backed out of the room. She raised a single finger and dramatic swiped it across her throat. ‘There aren’t that many dishes, I don’t think it requires you both!’_

_Alex pulled Kara back into the dining room where they high-fived one another on their brilliance._

_‘You’re gonna pay for this with Maggie, you know.’ Kara started to stack the plates on the table as Alex put the leftovers in the tupperware that Eliza had already set out._

_‘Oh I know.’ Alex wiggled her eyebrows at her sister._

_‘Ahhhh gross, Alex!’ Kara shook her head as she stacked the rest of the dirty dishes on top of her plate, creating a tower no human could carry._

_Alex busted out laughing. ‘Oh come on. I figured once you and Lena got real serious you’d loosen up a bit. Well, I know you have loosened up in the bedroom but I figured you also be able to talk about your relationships more with me.’_

_‘What do you mean you ‘know’ I have in the bedroom?!’_

_Alex began to rinse off dishes from the stacked tower and handed them to Kara to load into the dishwasher. ‘You are aware of how close Maggie and Lena are becoming, right?’_

_‘I know they have lunch once or twice a week. And they text a lot. And they sometimes go shop_ – _crap!’_

_‘Mhmm.’ Alex gave the last dish to Kara and turned the faucet off. She reached up for the bottle of whiskey from on top of the fridge and grabbed a glass before following Kara back to the dining room table. ‘So you and Luthor like_ – _’_

_‘Stop right there, Alex! It is Christmas!’_

_Alex bellowed another laugh, this one bringing tears to her eyes. ‘What does that have anything to do with it?’_

_‘And we’re in mom’s house! I’m not talking about that stuff here!’_

_‘Okay, okay, okay.’ Alex poured herself a sizable glass and leaned back into her chair._

_Both sisters were quiet for a bit, watching their mother and girlfriends in the living room. Maggie was laughing at a picture, most likely of Alex, as Eliza slipped her arm around Lena’s shoulders, bringing her in closer._

_‘This is kind of nice, though. Isn’t it?’ Alex said, gesturing toward the three women in the other room._

_‘Yeah. It is. It really is.’ Kara’s eyes were focused on Lena. She loved the way Lena’s nose scrunched up when she laughed or smiled wide. And she especially loved when Lena laughed hard enough she snorted, as she did now when the three women broke into another fit of laughter. She could listen to Lena laugh for the rest of her life_ – _at least the rest of Lena’s life. ‘How am I supposed to tell her, Alex?_

_Alex gave her younger sister a confused look before realization dawned upon her. She swallowed hard and swirled the amber liquid in her glass, not knowing how to answer the question._

_Kara smiled sadly at her sister. ‘How do I tell the woman I love that she’ll grow old without me? That one day people will mistake me for her daughter or granddaughter rather than her wife?’_

_‘I don’t know. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling.’ Alex sighed deeply. ‘Hell, it took me weeks to figure out how to tell you and Kal that you would stop aging at a certain point.’_

_‘I’m sorry. This has to be hard on you too.’_

_Alex took another sip and wiped at the side of her eye. ‘It sucks knowing I’m not always going to be able to be there to protect you,’ she grimly admitted._

_Kara looked back to Lena, to her mother and Maggie. ‘I’ve never wanted to be a human more than I do right now.’_

_‘I know. But,’ Alex reached across the table and took Kara’s hand into her own, ‘I know you will always be there. You’re going to protect the world. My children and their children and their children’s children will always have their Aunt Kara. Lena will find comfort in that too. That you’ll always be there to protect and take care of your family even when she can’t be there.’_

_‘I guess that’s true.’ Kara smiled at Alex as visions of dark-haired, green-eyed children played through her mind, joined by mini Alex look-alikes._

_They sat there for some time in silence. Not needing to say what they were thinking because the tension and sadness had filled the room enough as it was._

_‘Hey you two, why so serious in here?’ Eliza asked as her, Maggie, and Lena entered the dining room._

_‘Us? Serious?!’ Alex pulled her hand from Kara’s and placed it on her chest dramatically, as if her mother’s comment deeply offended her.  
_

_Kara laughed as she stood and took Lena into her arms. ‘What are you three up to?’_

_‘Your mom said it is time for presents, and then pie.’ Lena said as she kissed Kara’s lips._

_‘I’m pretty sure it’s presents AND pie. Like at the same time.’ Kara returned the kiss before letting Lena drag her back into the living room._

************************************************************************************

Lena woke hours later, her body still exhausted from the day before. Her eyes fluttered to the window and found Kara still folded up on her cot. But the crying had stopped and Kara had turned her head, her cheek now pressed to her knees, to look through the window at Lena. Lena gave a soft smile at her as their eyes met before sitting up in her own cot. She noticed that Kara’s eyes followed her movements as she stood and approached the window.

“I love you.” It was barely more than a whisper. It would have been difficult for someone in the same room to have heard it. But Lena knew Kara was listening closely to her, as she always did, and saw the confirmation that Kara had heard her by the slight upturn on Kara’s lips. Lena put her hand on the glass between them and said it again. “I love you.”

Kara lips curled into a slight smile again but it quickly faded as she jerked her head around to the door of her room.

Lena looked on as Lex opened the door and somberly entered Kara’s room. When the door had shut behind him, he began talking very seriously, like he was proposing a business deal. Lena cursed herself for not being able to read his lips. All she could do was watch Lex and Kara’s body language and try to gauge the conversation that way.

After a few moments of speaking, Lex reached his hand into his pocket and brought out a set of keys. He sat at the end of Kara’s cot and unlocked first her ankle restraints and then her wrist restraints. Kara, who had never let her gaze leave Lex, began talking rapidly, rubbing her wrists where the cuffs had been. Lex was nodding in agreement to whatever she was saying.

Lena looked back and forth between the two, noting the seriousness of the conversation, trying to pick up what she could. But then Kara ended her side of the apparent negotiations by asking Lex something twice. The first time he nodded and had a brief comment. The second time, Kara really emphasized her words and this time Lex very seriously affirmed his agreement. Lena recognized her name on the second pass of Kara’s request but couldn’t decipher anything else.

Their deal now concluded, Lex stood from the cot and made his way to the door. He knocked twice and the security team waiting outside opened the door for him. He turned to Kara and made another comment. At this, Kara stood and began to walk across the room to the open door.

“Kara?! No! Don’t listen to him! Kara!” Lena slapped her palm against the glass again.

Lena saw Kara’s steps hesitate briefly but she didn’t once turn toward the window, she did not even offer a glance to Lena in acknowledgement. And then she was gone through the door. Lena looked to Lex still standing in the doorway of Kara’s room. His face, serious and almost grave, gave nothing away. Underneath his severe stare, Lena took a step back from the window in defeat but never let her eyes leave his. And then his face split into an evil sneer as he pulled the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I read and edit these myself so all typos and errors are my own fault.
> 
> The story is really getting there! I hope you guys are still enjoying it. Thanks for sticking with me :)


	12. Chapter 12

Alex looked down at the sound of her text message alert.

_Maggie: Please get some rest. You won’t be able to help Kara if you’re back in the hospital._

Alex rolled her eyes but a soft smile played at her lips.

_Alex: I am. I’m laying down now._

A few seconds went by before the phone beeped again.

_Maggie: Liar :)_

It was true that she was now laying down on Lena’s white couch. She simply neglected to inform Maggie that she had laid down with a stack of files to go through. Winn and Vasquez had decided to stay down in Patrick’s lab while the L-Corp crew had gone to their respective offices to sleep. This left Alex alone in Lena’s office for the night.

After a lot of fruitless effort on everyone’s part, the investigation of Kara, and Lena to an extent, had slowed dramatically. They had identified the man in the photos as Craig Hendricks, a former colleague of Lionel Luthor, but nothing more had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

“Hendricks has pretty much stayed at the hospital. The only time he left was to an all night deli a few blocks away about an hour after you talked to him,” Winn reported that morning, following Alex and Vasquez’s interrogation of him at the hospital.

“Keep watching him,” Alex instructed. “I want to know where he goes when he leaves the hospital.”

The team had transformed two offices and the conference room of Patrick’s L-Corp laboratories into a new command center. Winn had recreated Alex’s notes across several dry erase boards that Patrick had brought to the room, and the L-Corp crew of Gaby, Travis, and Patrick had brought down all the files they thought might be pertinent to Lena’s disappearance and the missing Caeneus case. With no more to go on for Hendricks, their conversations had turned to the FBI.

“How do we get Anders out of the way?” Alex asked as they all met over the breakfast that Jess had delivered that morning. She was grateful they had all given up their weekend to help because she was starting to get the feeling that this was a lot bigger than she initially thought. And without the official help of the DEO because of the FBI she was relieved to have L-Corp and their resources on her side. But much to her disappointment, no one had any real ideas how to go about their FBI problem.

If this was any other investigation, the DEO would have already taken Hendricks in and interrogated him properly. If the investigation had been a true partnership between the two organizations then they wouldn’t have to walk on eggshells as they proceeded. It was very clear, however, that Anders and his FBI team did not want any assistance from the DEO. It was so much so that it was suspect. Why would the FBI not want their help or expertise on the situation? Anders rubbed Alex the wrong way but was it because she was so worried about Kara? Or was there something more to it?

With the President’s insistence that the FBI take the lead on Supergirl’s disappearance, their hands were tied. Any actions they did were against orders and could result in a great deal of trouble for all of them. They had to proceed with caution so as to not get caught if they were going to act – and of course they were because there was no coming in between Alex and her sister. So for the time being, Hendricks was free and they were nowhere closer to finding Kara.

Alex sighed as she stretched out on Lena’s white couch. She really should sleep but her brain was buzzing with the situation of it all.

She rose from the couch and began to pace. She picked up the bottle of water that Jess left with the sandwich she had brought up for Alex hours ago and took a sip. Looking at the sandwich mournfully, she realized that she hadn’t really eaten at all that day and that could be part of the problem with her fogged brain. She peeled back the wrapper of the sandwich and took a bite before continuing her pacing, talking out what their next steps.

_Find Kara._

_Find out what really happened to Lena._

_How is Hendricks connected to all of this?_

_Who is pulling the strings if the Luthors are all in jail?_

She found herself on the other side of the office next to Lena’s shelves of pictures. Alex let her fingers graze over Kara’s face in a picture from the previous Christmas. She then picked up the picture that her and Maggie had given to Lena on her birthday the year previous of their whole group of friends surrounding the couple at their engagement party. How could things go so wrong? Everything seemed to have been falling into place for both sisters and then…She sighed in frustration, the tears building at the injustice of it all.

She fondly wiped the light layer of dust from the plain black frame but she yanked her finger back quickly as her finger ran over an inconsistency. It didn’t really hurt but had surprised her. She angled the frame slightly in the dim light of the office and saw a small pinhole. Her heart started to pound because it looked like a camera lens. She flipped the frame over and found the message that she had written in white marker on the black cardboard insert.

_To my newest sister. May you have a lifetime of happy memories._

She put the frame back in its place and started to look at the other frames and objects Lena had decorated the glass shelves with. She turned everything over, ran her fingers along the back creases where the shelves met the wall. Nothing. No obvious power source for this particular frame. That was odd. Why would there be a camera in this frame?

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she quickly texted Maggie.

_Alex: Do you remember the picture we gave Lena last year for her birthday? What did the frame look like?_

She stared at the text message and waited nearly half a minute before she saw Maggie’s anticipated typing bubbles. Then Maggie’s messaged dinged.

_Maggie: It was silver with a glossy black trim. Why? Aren’t you right there in Lena’s office where it’s at?_

Her stomach did a somersault. Someone had replaced the frame with the hidden camera frame. They were smart enough to use the original insert with Alex’s message but obviously could not replicate the actual frame. Had Lena put it there herself or had someone else?

She put the frame back and rushed to the private elevator, selecting the button for Patrick’s lab once inside. _Shit, shit, shit!_ _Was it recording sound as well?_ They had discussed a great deal of Alex’s theories on both Kara and Lena in that office. If the camera was there to spy on Lena then whoever had put it there would have it all too. _But would they still be watching weeks after Lena’s death?_

She bustled into the conference room, not bothering to be all the quiet. Vasquez jerked up from the leather couch that was on the far wall, and automatically aimed her firearm at the intruder. When she realized it was Alex she lowered her arm.

“Fuck, Alex! Don’t do that!” She grabbed at her chest over her heart and took a deep breath.

“Sorry. Where’s Winn?” Alex looked around the room, not finding a solution to her question. Then she heard a deep snore.

Vasquez rolled her eyes and jabbed her finger down at the table before climbing back into her makeshift bed on the couch. “Is everything alright?”

“God, I don’t know. I found a camera in Lena’s office,” Alex grunted. She got down on one knee and peered under the table.

Winn was laying on his stomach, his jacket curled over his shoulder. He had his head resting on a pile of files and was not only snoring, but slightly drooling.

“How the fuck does he sleep like this?” Alex shook her head and stood. She grasped the edge of the table and then kicked his side to rouse him from his slumber.

“Ow! What’s your deal?!”

“Get up! I need you right now in Lena’s office.”

Vasquez followed as well, and as they got into the elevator to go back up she explained what she had found.

“It’s a picture frame. I need to know if it’s still recording and who put it there.” Alex marched back into Lena’s office when the elevator doors opened, Winn and Vasquez on her heels, and grabbed the frame again. “You see? Just there.” She ran her finger over the hole again.

“Geez, that’s small.” Winn turned the frame over a few times in his hands, searching for something. He unfastened the cardboard insert and found a second cardboard layer. “Here we go…” Whatever he was looking for, he had found. When he had pulled both inserts out he showed her the USB dock on the side of the thick frame. “We just need to plug it in.”

“Is it still recording?”

“I don’t think so. It would need to be charged every so often and we’ve been here nearly two days.”

Winn opened multiple drawers on the cabinet right next to the shelves. In the third one he found the correct cord and took it and the frame to Lena’s desk.

“So this is Lena’s frame then? Not someone else’s?” Alex asked, her voice full of anxiety.

“I’m pretty sure it’s Lena’s. If someone had planted it here they’d have to break into her office periodically to not only clear the limited memory but also to charge it. That doesn’t seem very smart.” He looked up, confusion written over his face. “You know, Lena could have built something way better than this. This is a pretty generic setup, except for the small camera. It’s a pretty cheap frame. I wonder why she didn’t." 

“Maybe she suspected something was going on in her office and didn’t have time to build her own,” Vasquez provided. “Just used this in a pinch, you know?”

“Wait,” Winn was examining the camera again. He took a pocket tool kit from his jacket and began taking the frame apart. “Well she did modify it. The small camera is definitely top notch and it looks like it has updated storage and battery life. Still, it probably could only last about ten or twelve hours depending on the quality of the video.”

Alex considered this. “Winn, can you pull up the footage that is still saved in the frame?”

Winn hooked the cord up to the frame and then to Lena’s computer. He smiled triumphantly. “I can do even better.” He turned the screen towards Alex. “I can show you every file for every recording this frame has captured, which isn’t many by the way. When I plugged it in, it automatically started transferring the files over to a folder here on Lena’s computer. She must have kept them all in the same place. They date back to the sixth of March of this year.”

“Two days before Lena died.” Alex bit her lip. “How many files are there?”

“There were four already in the folder. So what is transferring now makes five. From the download dates, it looks like she got the camera at some point on the sixth, recorded some, and then transferred, probably testing it out because this first file is only a few minutes long. It was transferred over on the sixth just after 11pm.”

He opened it and they all gathered around to watch. The beginning of the recording was just a black screen but then they realized it was because the frame was face down on Lena’s desk when Lena finally lifted it up and her office was revealed. They saw a variety of spare pieces, screws, and wires across the desk as she maneuvered the frame about. She then flipped the frame around and they were able to see her face, softly lit by her desk lamp. She looked back and forth between the camera and off screen, probably to her computer Alex guessed.

“It looks like she’s trying to calibrate it,” Vasquez said.

Then the video ended. Winn clicked on the next one. “This one is much longer, almost eight hours.” 

This video picked up right where the first one left off. Lena had obviously been satisfied with what she had done. The video became shaky as Lena stood and placed it on the shelf, slightly adjusting it so that most of her office could seen. She then walked back over to her desk and started to clean up the mess she had made.

They watched her in silence for a few moments. When she had sat back down at her desk and started to work after she had completed her clean-up, Alex huffed and sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. “I wonder why she felt the need to have this.”

Vasquez sat in the other chair and snapped her fingers after a bit. “Didn’t Patrick say that that substance, the Caeneus stuff had gone missing right before her accident? When exactly did that happen?”

“Shit, you’re right,” Alex conceded. “He said it had gone missing a couple of days before Lena’s accident. Maybe that was why she felt the need to suddenly have a camera in her office? Maybe she thought someone was breaking into her office?”

She looked back to the video playing on the screen. Lena was now looking toward the balcony, smiling and obviously talking to someone. A moment later Supergirl came strolling towards Lena’s chair. Supergirl bent over slightly and softly kissed Lena. Alex watched as her sister then gently pulled Lena up out of the chair towards the balcony. Lena only hesitated long enough to grab her purse before letting Kara lead her away.

Alex couldn’t help her sad smile at the pair. “I guess Jess was right. Lena doesn’t always swipe out for security.”

Seeing the pained look in Alex’s eyes, Winn fast forwarded through the rest of the video. Nothing appeared to happen in the office for the next several hours. They watched the night turn into a bright morning and then Lena reappear, this time coming through her proper office doors. She went immediately to the frame and picked it up.

“So nothing remarkable happened that night. Lena comes in about 7am,” Winn had already pulled up the security logs for that day and had them in a window right next the the video, “and transfers over. This next video will pick back up whenever Lena is done charging it.”

“Show me the footage that is still on the frame. That would have been from the eighth, the day that Lena died, yes?”

Winn arched his eyebrow as he did the calculation. “This next one should be for the rest of the seventh,” he pointed to the list of files, “and then this one is most likely for overnight between the seventh and the eighth. The footage I just transferred from the frame would be for the day of the eighth.”

“That’s the one I want.” Alex pointed at the most recent file.

Winn double clicked on it and the video started much like the others with Lena taking the frame back to its proper place. “Okay, it looks like this is sometime that morning.”

Alex jumped from her chair and quickly grabbed one of the files off of the couch. She brought it back to the desk and set it down so they could all see it. “Jess said Lena swiped through security at 8:32 that morning.”

Winn confirmed on the security logs on the computer screen.

“Okay so if we estimate that it took her what? Like ten minutes to get up here and start charging the frame?” Vasquez wrote in on the side of Alex’s notes. “It’d take two or threes hours to charge, Winn?”

“About that, yeah.”

“And then,” Alex continued, “Lena was back in her office around 10:45am. That must be about here, yes?”

Both Vasquez and Winn nodded in agreement.

“So that means Patrick should be arriving soon,” Winn stated looking back down at Alex’s notes. Sure enough, Patrick came out of the private elevator about twenty minutes into the recording.

The three of them watched as Lena and Patrick talked and worked on something together. Patrick eventually left and Lena spun her chair to look at National City. She sat there alone for sometime before swivelling back and picking up her cell phone. Before she could do whatever she was planning she looked over to her office phone and picked it up.

“Okay that’s the call that Patrick says he didn’t make,” Vasquez narrated.

They watched as Lena confusedly looked at the phone before hanging it up. She rose from her chair and walked quickly to the elevator. And then she was gone.

Alex groaned. “Basically this just confirms what we already knew.” She sat back in the chair and dropped her head into her hands.

All three of them sat there in silence. Another dead end.

Winn hit the fast forward button and briefly watched Lena’s empty office in the video. “We do know, though, that Lena was paranoid about something. Probably the Caeneus so that’s good to see her frame of mind. You already suspect something was up with Lena’s death since we didn’t have any record of her leaving L-Corp and Kara saying she couldn’t hear her…”

“It’s not enough, though,” Alex said sadly, her head still bowed down in her hands. “God, I feel like it’s all right there in front of us but I just can’t…” She pulled her head up and jumped from her chair. “Stop the video!”

Winn and Vasquez each started in their own right at Alex’s command. Winn smacked his finger down on the space bar and the video paused. Lena’s office was dark, the only light in the room was coming from her desk top lamp. And standing just between Lena’s couch and coffee table was Craig Hendricks.

“Oh shit! Rewind it back a bit!” Vasquez exclaimed. 

Winn did so and started the video just before Hendricks opened the doors to Lena’s office.

“That fucker,” Alex gritted through her teeth. “Wait, did it look like someone else walked in with him?”

“Yeah I think there were two people but with the darkness it’s hard to tell. If someone else is there then they are in that,” Vasquez pointed to the opposite side of the room, “area over there. There is quite a bit of the office that the camera doesn’t pick up.”

They watched as Hendricks made his way across Lena’s office and sat her desk. He logged onto her computer and plugged in a drive. He suddenly raised his head and looked to the area Vasquez had noted that the camera didn’t capture. They saw his mouth start moving as he addressed someone.

“Yeah there is someone else there with him,” Winn confirmed.

Alex narrowed her eyes at Hendricks face, trying to read his lips but the video was too dark because of the poor lighting in the office that late at night. Hendricks’ head was turning while he talked, the person he was talking must have been walking the length of the office. Whoever it was should be getting close to being in the camera’s view by the degree to which Hendricks had turned.

And then Alex’s heart stopped.

Lex Luthor causally strolled into the picture frame’s sight. He stopped in front of the shelves of pictures, right in front of the camera. _My sister is doing quite well for herself_. Alex could read his lips with as close as he was to the picture frame.

She watched as he picked up one of the other frames and brought it closer for his gaze. She turned and looked at the shelf, noting that it had to be the picture she took of Lena and Kara when they had gone to a baseball game based on the position of the frames. Lena was up on Kara’s back, her legs wrapped around Kara’s torso and her arms wrapped around her neck. Both were looking right into the camera, smiling wide, Kara with ice cream half smeared on her face from a small food fight that had just happened right before Alex took the picture.

 _She looks happy_ , Lex’s lips moved. He looked proud yet pained. He placed the picture back and went to stand by Lena’s desk where Hendricks had started working. 

The two men were there, ciphering off files from Lena’s computer, for twenty minutes before leaving the office. 

“The frame must have died not long after this; the video is only another five minutes long,” Winn’s voice was soft and almost scared. “Alex? What are we going to do?”

Alex didn’t answer. She pulled her phone back out and dialed a number quickly.

“Kal? We have a major problem.”

************************************************************************************

_‘Good morning, Kara. I hope you slept well.’ The metal door echoed loudly as it closed. Lex stood confidently just inside the room. ‘Now that we’re alone,’ his eyes flashed over to the window where Lena was watching the two intently, ‘and after some careful thought, I would like to expand on my proposal from last night. First, let me reiterate that I meant everything I said. I want you to have a full life with Lena.’_

_Kara didn’t move from her cot. She listened to his official proposal in silence._

_‘But I also want to obtain the Medusa virus and use it as a method to keep unwanted alien life off of Earth. Your father had intended the virus to be used as a deterrent and that is what I’d like to use it for as well. But I need the virus, I need to be able to adapt it, before we set the rest of the plan in place. With the Medusa virus in hand, we can not only control the alien lives that are here but also have a preventative measure should Earth be invaded while we build up our armies. With the Medusa virus in hand I will have a powerful card to play in uniting mankind.’_

_‘And how exactly do you plan on uniting mankind? Like Lena said last night, that could take centuries which you don’t have.’ Kara’s voice was soft but confident._

_‘Most of the world is already up in arms about alien life on Earth, it’s just not very popular to admit it. Some countries, like this one, are trying to embrace amnesty for those individuals. Other countries, however, hold a less peaceful view. Your cousin may be loved by many but he is also feared by a great number of others. If we can show that a productive and peaceful alliance can be made between you Supers and us then we can pull in those countries wanting a peaceful solution. Additionally, having you and Clark on our side assisting in detaining all the violent aliens will demonstrate to those who oppose alien life on Earth not to fear you Kryptonians.’_

_‘Clark and I will not be your mascots or your guard dogs. We aren’t muscles for hire.’_

_‘Nor do I intend you to be. We will first start to build the New Krypton that your father envisioned. It will be so technologically advanced, provide solutions for many of Earth’s problems, that the people will want nothing more than to come together as one and take advantage of all we’ll have to offer.’_

_‘What role will Lena have in all of this?’ Kara asked._

_Lex smiled as if he had been waiting for this question. He confidently made his way to her cot where he sat himself down and undid her restraints as he thought over his words carefully. ‘Lena will be at the forefront, at your side. Your marriage will cement the newly human-Kryptonian alliance.’ Lex paused here and regarded her briefly. ‘I can see how much you love her, Kara. I love her too, you know.’_

_Kara rubbed both of her wrists where the restraints had been. She could see a faint green twinge where the Kryptonite cuffs had sat on her skin. ‘You don’t try to kill the ones you love.’_

_Lex nodded in agreement but did not elaborate on his reasoning for why he had made multiple attempts on Lena’s life since her rise to CEO._

_‘I have thought about your proposal,’ Kara continued. ‘To be honest, that’s all I’ve ever thought about since I met Lena_ – _living a normal life with her, I mean. And protecting the Earth...it’s all I’ve wanted to do since I became Supergirl.’_

_‘Let me help you do so.’_

_‘I want to know every detail. The entire plan. If I know you like I think I do, from everything Lena has ever said, you have this planned out in far greater detail than you are providing me. I want to know everything. And if I find out that you are holding something back, you will pay.’_

_‘Noted.’ Lex smiled again. ‘But before I reveal everything to you, I want Clark here.’_

_‘He’s never going to agree to all of this, you know that,’ Kara said. ‘What you did to him, to Lois and all of those people in Metropolis, you can’t expect him to just jump head first into this plan.’_

_‘It will be difficult, I’m sure. But he’ll come around once he sees the possibilities. I know you two were never very close so let me enlighten you a little about your cousin. This plan was not my original idea.’_

_Kara shook her head.‘What is that supposed to mean?’_

_‘I mean that Clark was the one who first proposed the idea of recreating Krypton to me. When I started decoding some of the information logged into the Fortress of Solitude by your father, he became obsessed with the idea. He kept telling me that he had to rebuild his world.’ He paused, and took a deep breath. ‘People have called me mad and crazy, but you should have seen Clark at the height of these plans.’_

_‘I don’t believe you.’_

_‘It’s true whether you believe it or not. He became obsessed with the idea and it was quite contagious.’ Lex shrugged._

_‘But he stopped at some point. Even you said last night that Clark eventually refused to help you continue the plan, even if it was his idea in the first place.’_

_‘Yes, he did. You are correct. Clark got cold feet when it came to ridding the Earth of the aliens that were already here.’_

_‘And what makes you think I’m not the same as him?’_

_‘Because you’ve seen first hand what aliens are capable of here on Earth. You saw what they could do in your childhood on Krypton. Imagine what would have happened if you had not been here to battle Vartox or the other Kryptonians that were here.’_

_‘How do you even know about that?’_

_Lex shrugged. ‘I have my sources. And I think over the years Clark has also become a bit jaded about other alien life here on Earth.’_

_The other Kryptonians, Kara thought. Obviously Lex’s sources weren’t completely in on the truth. If he had known that it had been her Aunt Astra and had known what her plans were then he would surely have used that against her here in this argument. ‘Not all aliens are bad.’_

_Lex chuckled. ‘Ah, I’ve heard that phrase so many times now it sounds almost like a cheesy political campaign slogan.’_

_‘But it’s true. I refuse to help you if that means harming or killing innocent lives, alien or human.’_

_‘I thought you’d say that.’ He paused and looked down at his hands. ‘You know, I was never really that anti-alien. That was always my mother. I have always been intrigued by aliens_ – _’_

_‘And yet you want the Medusa virus to wipe out the aliens.’_

_‘It’s not because they are aliens. It’s because they are a threat. But perhaps you and Clark are correct.’_

_Kara eyes went wide with disbelief. ‘So you won’t hurt them?’_

_‘If you agree to help me then I won’t hurt the innocent ones. Any alien who agrees to join our cause will be spared. Those who are violent or oppose us, well then…’_

_‘We have the means to detain the violent aliens. But I refuse to kill any of them. And I will not help you commit genocide on those who simply oppose this plan. An alternative has to be in place.’_

_‘My, my, my, it is amazing how pro-life you and Clark are given your heritage. I expected that you would, at the very least, still have some of your previous anti-alien sentiments from Krypton.'_

_‘We weren’t anti-alien! We were just_ – _’_  

_‘The bullies of the playground, the enforcers,’ Lex interrupted. ‘I know. I’ve read Krypton’s history books.’_

_Kara rolled her eyes. ‘History books are biased and paint the truth differently.’_

_He let out a boyish laugh at this. ‘That I will agree with you on. But I know for a fact that your own mother was a part of an elite organization aimed at policing most of this galaxy. And I know that the way they went about it didn’t always earn Krypton positive light. Krypton was respected but feared.’_

_Kara sighed. He was right, of course. Her mother had not only served as a primary judge on Krypton but also worked with the Military guild to spread Kryptonian justice. Krypton itself may have favored isolationism but the preferred method of maintaining isolation was to force everyone else to play by Kryptonian rules._

_‘If I agree to do this then I want your word that you will not harm my family. That includes Lena.’_

_‘I promise,’ Lex assented._

_‘Nothing happens to Lena or the rest of my family.’_

_Their eyes held and Lex could see what was meant by the rumors that Supergirl was stronger than Superman. He could see a fierceness in her eyes that not even Clark had at the height of his anger. ‘I promise, Kara. We will all be in this together. The Luthors and Supers will lead Earth into its first great age.’_

_Lex rose from the cot and walked to the door of her room. He knocked twice. It opened, with an electronic beep, to reveal a host of security personnel in the hallway looking in. ‘I’d like to get started right away, Kara. I’ll need your help with the transporter to get to the Planet of the Light and then, of course, your help there to access the virus. We’ll also need something else, some technology, some possible cure for a disease here on Earth to convince Clark and the rest of the world to join us.’ He turned and looked at her expectantly._

_Kara stood from the cot and made her way to the door. She felt her senses prickle but continued as confidently as she could. She would have to go along with Lex and his plan for the time being until she could work out a way to get her and Lena out of this safely. And maybe his plan wasn’t such a bad idea. She needed more time to think this all through. She needed to talk to Clark. She needed to get to the Planet of the Light to access what she suspected was hidden deep inside its files._

_‘Kara?! No! Don’t listen to him! Kara!’_

_Lena’s voice was loud in her ears but she pushed it back, the sound of it and hollow thuds of Lena’s palms on the window between their rooms now distant in her mind as she left the room._

************************************************************************************

 “What am I looking for?” Kara asked as she stood behind the arching metal frame of the transporter. There were cables and wires running in every direction and she didn’t have the slightest idea what he was wanting her to see.

“The giant cable. The one with yellow stripes. I need you to connect it the transporter. There should be a port for you to connect it to, also framed in yellow,” Lex grunted from his place underneath the stage that the transporter was sat upon.

Kara pushed some of the other wires out of the way and found the cable beneath them. It was heavier than she anticipated and she felt a strain in her muscles as she lifted it. She was still not completely healed from her injuries and the toll of her captivity thus far. She desperately needed some sunlight.

“Are you good?”

Kara heard the machine hiss as she connected the cable, snapping it into place with the metal fasteners. “We’re good.” She quickly hopped from the stage and backed away some from the machine.

Lex climbed out from underneath the stage and picked up a tablet off of the nearby workbench. “Alright, let’s see if that fixes the problem.”

He selected the appropriate command on the tablet and looked up expectantly. Purple static formed in the space within the metal arch. The machine hummed loudly as the color darkened. But then sparks flashed from all sides of the transporter, hisses and pops echoed through the large lab. The lights in the entire room flickered for a few seconds and then everything went dark. The only light now was from Lex’s tablet and it illuminated his face eerily. He didn’t look disappointed but rather resigned.

“Massey!”

Kara joined Lex’s side and looked down at the tablet where the transporter’s readings were maxing out. “What happened?”

Lex sighed. “The power source just isn’t right. We have enough power but it’s not calibrated correctly.”

Massey finally appeared behind them. “Sir?”

Lex never let his eyes leave the transporter, like he was challenging the machine to keep thwarting him. “Have the boys reset the generators. And get Lena.”

“Yes, sir.” Massey left without hesitation.

Lex turned and looked at Kara. “We need Lena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I read and edit these myself. All errors are my own fault. 
> 
> I apologize for the delay! I hope you all have enjoyed the puppy fluff, smut, and new multi-chapter fic though while I've been working on this one! And I hope you guys are excited for the end of this fic as much as I am!
> 
> Come yell at me @nevertobeships :)


	13. Chapter 13

 

“Alex, what are we going to do?” Winn asked again. 

Alex looked back at the computer screen as she hung up the phone with Kal. Winn had backed the video to the part where Lex was admiring Lena’s picture display. It was clearly him but it  _ couldn’t be _ . She had had reports every day of the Luthors’ movements in prison. She had seen the live feed. Was it all a big lie? How many people would it take to pull off this cover-up? Kal didn’t even believe her. He said he was going to Stryker’s Island himself. He said Lex’s heartbeat was there and that she had to be wrong.

Vasquez gripped Alex’s shoulder breaking her from being lost in her own thoughts. “Alex?”

“We...we need to...” There were just so many thoughts racing through her mind. Lex had probably killed Lena. Lex has Kara and would kill her too.  _ That son of a bitch is taking away my family _ . With authority she cleared her throat and launched into a battle plan that seemed to appear in her mind out of nowhere, the rage fueling the process. Pieces of this once elusive puzzle finally fell into place. “Winn, I know you already looked into Hendricks’ past but I need you to find something on him. He is the only in we have to whatever this may be. Check for possible burners, secret apartments, bank accounts, anything. I want to know where he grocery shops, what kind of socks he buys, the whole works on him.”

“I can’t do that without our DEO resources.” Winn’s face showed his own disappointment in that fact. 

“Right.” Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. She resumed her pacing and started lecturing but it was as if no one else was in the room with her. “Here is how I see it: the Caeneus stuff goes missing and then Lena dies in a suspicious car accident. Then nothing happens for weeks until Kara is abducted. Why? If this is all Cadmus, if this is all him,” she pointed to the computer image of Lex, “then why not take Kara and Lena at the same time? Why not take Kara right after Lena’s death when Kara was at the peak of her grieving? When she was the most vulnerable?”

“I don’t know,” Winn stammered unsure if these questions were rhetorical. “Maybe they didn’t know she was vulnerable. I mean J’onn was flying around as Supergirl so no one would know she had lost her powers.”

“No one knew Supergirl lost her powers because J’onn kept up the ruse,” Alex repeated. She mumbled the same story she had just said aloud to herself. 

“I don’t think we understand what you’re trying to say, Alex.” Vasquez was concern. 

In fact, they were both looking at her like she was crazy but Alex didn’t seem to care. Alex continued as if she hadn’t heard Vasquez. “Who has Kara saved the most out of anyone in this city? Who gets all the media attention?”

Winn answered again. “Lena.”

“Exactly!” Alex screamed as if this made her point. “And if you wanted to get to Supergirl, who would you take?”

“Lena,” Vasquez admitted. She still didn’t understand though. “But they never baited Kara with Lena. They...they just killed her if you still think the car accident wasn’t really an accident.”

“What if she’s not dead? What if they staged her death and took her?” Alex knew she sounded desperate. 

“But why?” Winn asked. “That still doesn’t make any sense. Why not kidnap her and hold her for ransom and then attack Supergirl when she came to the rescue?”

“How many people have been successful at capturing and hurting a Super?” Alex argued back.

“Not many.”

“If you’re going to attack a Super you need something strong.” Alex stopped and looked at them both, her hands outstretched in a ta-da moment. When all she got was more confused looks she finished. “And what do we know now makes things stronger?”

“The fucking Caeneus stuff.” Vasquez bolted up from her chair, finally understanding Alex’s train of thought. “I’m getting Patrick up.”

“You might as well get them all up,” Alex instructed to Vasquez’s retreating back. “Patrick said they had never figured out how to use Caeneus but what if Cadmus thought Lena would know?”

“So you’re saying Cadmus stole the Caeneus and then realized they couldn’t synthesize it, and that’s why they took Lena? They assumed she would know how it works since it was at L-Corp?” Winn stood and started pointing at different places in the air as if he could see some invisible map that Alex had drawn up in her conclusions.

“Yes! They take Lena hoping she can break it down and then when she does, they use her as bait for Supergirl.”

“That would explain the few weeks between Lena’s death and Kara’s abduction. It would take time for Lena to figure out how to break Caeneus.” Winn rubbed his tired eyes. He had a feeling that something was still missing. “But then how did they know that Supergirl was Kara? How did they know to go after Kara at the bar that night? They didn’t bait her, they took her.”

Alex bit her lip and sank down into the chair across the desk from where Winn was standing. This was the part that she hated her brain for coming up with. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. Lena would never. 

“No.” Winn shook his head as he finally connected the dots, as if he was reading Alex’s mind at that very moment. “No, Alex. You don’t really believe that Lena gave Kara up.”

Alex put her face into her hands as a stuttered sob spilled from her throat. She was so sad at the thought. But everyone has a breaking point. Could she really blame Lena if she had given Kara up? What had she endured, what evils had Lex done to her to get her to tell him? Anger quickly replaced the sadness as torture techniques and Lena’s face flashed through her mind. Lena had been gone for weeks. Oh God, she had promised to protect her. To protect both of them. But she had failed. 

_ ‘I’m sorry, Special Agent Danvers, but you are not in the appointment book. Unless you have a warrant then you’ll have to make an appointment.’ _

_ Alex scoffed at the secretary. She looked to the frosted glass doors to Lena’s office. She wanted to kick them in. ‘What’s your name?’ _

_ ‘Jess,’ the secretary responded. She looked like she was ready to box it out right there with her as she crossed her arms defiantly.  _

_ Alex couldn’t help admire the feistiness of the smaller woman before her. Most people instantly crumbled when the FBI badge was shown. Then again, this woman was the last line of defense before Lena’s office and it would make sense for Lena to ensure that her secretary could handle anything.  _

_ ‘Okay, Jess, I apologize for the attitude.’ Alex relaxed her shoulders and put on her best fake smile. ‘I really need to talk to Ms. Luthor. Is...is she in her office?’ _

_ Jess narrowed her eyes at her, trying to work out whether this was some sort of trick. ‘She is...’ _

_ ‘Then could you please go tell her that Alex Danvers is here to see her.’ She balled her fists up in frustration but quickly brought her hands together, as if she was praying. ‘Please?’ _

_ Jess made a show of locking her computer screens which caused Alex roll her eyes.  _

_ Alex watched Jess knock on the frosted doors and then entered Lena’s office. It was barely a minute later when they both appeared in the doorway. _

_ ‘Alex? What are you doing here?’ Lena looked scared to death to see her standing in the waiting area.  _

_ ‘We need to talk.’ She put her hands on her hips, pushing the gun and its holster out just a smidge but enough to draw Lena’s eyes down to it. That’s right, Luthor, she thought, I’m in control here. _

_ Lena gulped. ‘Um...Jess can you clear the rest of my afternoon?’ _

_ ‘Senator Gallows is supposed to be here within the hour.’ Jess’ eyes bulged out incredulously.  _

_ Lena grimaced at this. ‘Ask her if there is anyway we can meet over dinner instead. My treat, of course.’ She looked at Alex once more and swallowed hard. ‘Just get it worked out, please.’ _

_ ‘Yes, Ms. Luthor.’ Jess narrowed her eyes at Alex again in dislike.  _

_ Alex picked up the briefcase she had sat on the floor in front of Jess’ desk and followed Lena into the office. Once there, Alex couldn’t help but walk to the west wall, made of floor to ceiling windows, that gave an extraordinary view out over National City. ‘I’m surprised Cat Grant hasn’t convinced you to sell this place to her. That woman loves a good view.’ _

_ ‘She’s tried. Several times in fact.’ _

_ Alex could feel Lena’s eyes boring into the back of her head but she kept her back to the CEO. Couldn’t hurt to make her sweat a bit more.  _

_ ‘Why are you here, Alex?’ Lena asked again after a moment of silence.  _

_ ‘Kara said she told you.’ They didn’t need to go into specifics. The double date turned Danvers sisters screaming match was still fresh in everyone’s mind. Alex should have known Kara would flee that night and reveal herself to Lena as Supergirl. Her baby sister just couldn’t help revealing herself to those closest to her. If Alex was really honest with herself, she was surprised it had taken so long for Kara to tell Lena. _

_ ‘She did. I assume that is why you said we couldn’t be together the other night?’ _

_ Alex nodded. ‘No offence but a Luthor and Super just doesn’t sound quite right.’ _

_ ‘I know I don’t deserve her. If that’s what you came to tell me then you can just leave.’ Lena’s voice was full of menace but at the same time it was so sad. If heartbreak could have a sound it would be Lena’s voice in this moment.  _

_ ‘It has nothing to do with deserving her.’ Alex finally turned. She could see the faint gray streak down one of Lena’s cheeks where the mascara had followed her tear. ‘I don’t dislike you, you know.’ _

_ Lena scoffed at that response. ‘But you don’t like me either.’ _

_ ‘I just don’t know if I can trust you.’ _

_ There it was. The real issue was right there on the table for everyone to see.  _

_ ‘Because I’m a Luthor.’ _

_ ‘Yep. A Luthor who now knows the identity of Supergirl. That makes me squeamish.’ Alex sighed. ‘I know it’s not your fault. Kara should have followed procedure and had you complete basic training for us before telling you.’ She ran her hand through her hair and rolled her shoulders. The last two days had been exhausting. ‘Maybe this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have said the things I said the other night. I am sorry for that.’ _

_ ‘Well I don’t know what you really said to Kara but I appreciate the apology.’ Alex didn’t understand this and looked to Lena for clarification. ‘Kara and I haven’t really been on speaking terms since she told me.’ Lena dropped her head and began to fidget with her watch. _

_ ‘Oh. Kara didn’t tell me that part...’ Alex furrowed her brow as she tried to work this information into her hurt-my-sister-and-I-kill-you speech but she could feel her resolve softening. ‘Why aren’t you talking?’ _

_ ‘Because I am  _ – _ was  _ – _ angry that she didn’t tell me sooner. I mean I understand I am...me...a Luthor...but still, it hurt to be lied to.’ _

_ Alex bit her lip and was about to probe into this when she noticed the wet bar out of the corner of her eye. ‘Do you mind if I...’ She took two steps toward the bar before she even received the answer.  _

_ ‘Of course not.’ Lena sat on the white couch and started playing with the hem of her skirt. ‘I’m just so...angry...both at her and myself. And I’m sad and disappointed and anxious. God, I’ve never felt so many things at once and felt them so intensely. I feel like I could break at any moment.’ _

_ Alex held out a glass of scotch to Lena and sat down next to her on the couch, her own glass nearly filled to the brim. ‘Welcome to loving and taking care of one Kara Zor-El. I’d like to tell you it gets easier but it doesn’t.’ Alex clinked the glasses together. _

_ ‘A part of me is telling me to end things with her  _ – _ that she’d be safer. But I don’t think I could ever hurt her like that. So the other part says stay and protect her but how can I protect her when I can’t even protect myself?’ _

_ ‘Hey you don’t need to worry about that. She can handle herself and has a governmental army behind her. You just need to love her. That’s what she really needs.’ _

_ Lena’s tears started flowing faster now. ‘I do, Alex. God, I love her so much it hurts sometimes.’ _

_ ‘You better. You know if you break her heart I’m going to kill you, right?’ Lena smiled at this and nodded. ‘And I’ll kill you if you tell anyone she’s Supergirl.’ _

_ ‘I would never. I would rather die,’ Lena promised. ‘I’m so scared of what my family could do to her, to us if they ever found out though.’ _

_ Alex put her arm around Lena’s shoulders and pulled her close. ‘Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you or Kara. I promise.’ _

************************************************************************************

Maggie pushed open the dirty glass door with her hip. It was a Greek deli, a real hole-in-the-wall type place that actually had good food but few customers. It was on the wrong side of the tracks of National City and its shady exterior and scantily lit dining room did nothing to help its cause. She had used this place several times before to meet with informants and sources that preferred to stay out of NCPD central. The owner and main cook, a man by the name of Aris, had massive arms and a face that looked like he had lost too many boxing matches. He kept his graying hair in tight military fashion and his bright blue eyes were always analyzing. His physical appearance and his mile long rap sheet, that consisted of petty crimes from the time he was thirteen years old, made him seem like a hardass but at his core he was a good guy who preferred to live and conduct business in the lower parts of society. 

In his late twenties Aris was busted for a smuggling scheme. It landed him a two year prison sentence. He served a year and was out for good behavior only to jump back into his old ways the same day he was released. His post-jail time actions eventually placed him in Maggie’s crosshairs. When her and her team were closing in, Aris turned on his then smuggling partners, whom he suspected were screwing him anyways, and proved himself a useful informant. In the aftermath, Aris and Maggie reached a business arrangement that suited both parties: Aris would provide her information about the crime in the neighborhood and any rumors he picked up about National City’s underground smuggling ring and she would turn a blind eye to his illegal importation of alien liquor. Then, they had sweetened the deal when he opened the deli four years ago. He kept an eye on her during the police business she conducted within in the deli – and people in the neighborhood knew not to mess with her or they would face Aris’ wrath – and she put him in contact with M’gann who became his biggest customer and the source of substantial profit. In the end, everyone won and they all relied on one another.

She nodded at him as he turned at the sound of the door’s bell and took up a seat at the end of the bar. Without being prompted, he started to assemble her usual salad. 

“You all right Sawyer? You look like you’ve been hit by a bus.”

“Thanks, dick. You still look like you lost a fight with a baseball bat.”

This is how all of the interactions started. Maggie found she liked the sibling-type relationship they had developed. 

“But seriously, everything okay?”

“No, actually.” She reached over the counter and grabbed a bottle of water out of the ice bin. “You heard anything about Supergirl?”

He turned and gave her a quizzical look. “Why would anyone around here be talking about Supergirl? She go all psycho again on the city?”

Maggie shrugged. “Just curious. Any other news?”

He slid the salad bowl in front of her and rested his elbows on the bar as he watched her take her first bite. “It’s been pretty quiet actually. There is a new buyer out in North Morrilton. Wanting some weird type of metal and lots of it. Something real techy. It made the alien smugglers real nervous though, whatever it is. I passed on the opportunity. You know me: if you can’t drink it then I don’t smuggle it.”

Maggie hummed in agreement though she wasn’t really paying attention anymore. North Morrilton. Why did that make the hair on her arms stand up?

“Oh, speaking of North Morrilton,” Aris stood out of his casual lean and pointed his spatula at her, “thanks for the heads up about the change in patrol patterns up there. I nearly got my ass caught with a truck full of stash a few weeks back. I’ve had to completely change my schedule to avoid the cops.”

“What are you talking about?” Maggie asked as she finally came out of her previous mental detour. 

“You said you’d keep an eye on the North Morrilton police for me since that’s where my guy brings his boat to shore. Guess you forgot about your buddy Aris, eh?”

“I didn’t know the patrol had changed.”

Aris rolled his eyes at her but then got serious. “It’s weird. We watched them one night and they completely avoid that large industrial park up there now and instead swing down by the docks and then leave the area. You’d think the industrial park would be more important.” He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the grill with a shake of his head. 

Alex had mentioned something about North Morrilton the other day when Maggie had called to check on her, she was sure of it. They hadn’t seen each other since Alex was camping out at L-Corp to stay out of the increasingly watchful eyes of the FBI. 

The bell on the door echoed through the dining room interrupting her thoughts. She turned to see Connors, another detective, slowly enter into the empty deli. Connors pulled his civilian jacket closer around him like he was afraid he was going to catch something from being in this place. He saddled up to Maggie and took the bar stool next to her. 

“What the fuck kind of place is this, Sawyer?”

Aris whipped around and started to say something but Maggie was quicker to reply. “It’s quiet and has good food. Just chill.”

“You know I could get my ass handed to me for even coming here and talking to you.”

“I know.” She took a swig of her water and another bite of her salad as Connors looked up at the chalkboard menu above Aris. “I appreciate you coming. What’s the word on the Supergirl case?”

“I don’t know, Sawyer. Things are weird and tense. Your name has been explicitly thrown out there that you are not to be a part of the investigation.” Connors shook his head and looked around like Anders and the FBI were watching from the corner. “What the fuck did you do to get on the FBI’s bad side?”

_ I’m dating a DEO agent _ . “Made one too many enemies, I guess.”

“You working this alone then?”

Maggie shifted her head back and forth. “You could say that.”

“Massey has been made lead for us and he spends more time away, I guess with Anders and the FBI, than back here. We’re just getting random orders from above and are told to carry them out without question. To be honest with you, we aren’t really investigating Supergirl’s disappearance. We’re just running around doing pointless things. It’s really frustrating.”

“Massey?! God, he’s an idiot. Why would they put him on...”  _ Massey was at Kara and Lena’s the night Lena died. Oh shit.  _ “I gotta go. Thanks for the info, Connors.” She jumped off the stool and threw down some money for Aris. “Wait ten minutes and then leave after me. And no one knows about this convo, yeah?”

She didn’t wait for a response. Once outside and into the alleyway between the deli and the pawn shop next door, she pulled her phone out and dialed Alex. 

“Maggie!” Alex’s voice was full of relief. 

“Hey. What’s going on there?” She could hear a lot of other people talking in the background.

“I think we’ve done it, Maggie, I think I know what happened to them.”

Maggie carefully listened to the new theory that they had all come up with throughout the night. Alex told her about the picture frame and seeing Lex, how they thought Lena might be alive. 

“We just don’t know where to start looking,” Alex’s voice went from giddiness to frustration in a blink of an eye. 

“Does North Morrilton mean anything to you?” Maggie slipped into the conversation when Alex finally took a breath. 

Silence.

“Alex? Are you still there?”

“It was the last place the Caeneus stuff was tracked. Why?” She could hear the excitement returning to Alex’s voice, hope bleeding through the question. 

“I think we need to talk then. The FBI is still watching L-Corp with you guys holed up in there. Anyway you guys can figure out how to get me in?”

“Where are you?”

“145th and Pine.”

“I’m sending you a ride,” Alex said and then immediately hung up without waiting for Maggie to respond.

Maggie looked down at her phone in confusion. “A ride?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone still out there????
> 
> Finally another chapter up! I hope you all enjoyed the one-shots in the interim. 
> 
> As always, I read and edit these myself so all errors and typos are my own. 
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr: @nevertobeships


	14. Chapter 14

Lena paced her room. It had been hours since Kara had left with Lex. Hours of her not knowing what was going on or where Kara was or what Lex was convincing her to do.

She badgered the guard who brought her meal with question after question and even tried to leave the room with him but that had resulted in him drawing his weapon on her. He radioed for backup so she reluctantly resigned herself to her cot where she curled her knees to her chest and settled on watching the door.

When the sound of the security lock beeped, she jumped from the cot and was halfway across the room as Massey entered the room.

“Where is she?” she demanded.

He looked her up and down, and then scoffed at her boldness. “Your brother needs you and I don’t think you want to make him wait.”

Lena pushed past him and sprinted out of the room not needing to be told anymore. Her progress was only halted by the security door to the lab which Massey, who had slowly strolled his way in her frantic wake, unlocked once he caught up to her.

“Eager are we?” he sneered. “You weren’t so eager before your girlfriend showed up.”

It took everything in her not to turn around and deck him.

The door opened to the lab and she made her way to the middle where she had setup her station for the last few weeks. She turned in a circle but did not see Kara or Lex. “Where are they?”

“They’re in the transporter room. Right through here.” A triumphant look was spread across his face. He loved watching her panic.

He led her to a thick reinforced door on the opposite side of the room. Lena had witnessed people going in and out of this door throughout her time in the facility but had never known what it was for or what was kept here. She waited, though impatiently, as Massey keyed in yet another code and the door slid open.

The transporter room was massive. They entered into a control room where several tense technicians were erratically flipping through sheets of printouts and typing in new commands. Through the glass windows that made up the front wall, Lena could see Lex pacing back and forth, yelling at every person in the vicinity in the main warehouse. Most of the workers running about, carrying wires or pushing carts of spare parts, kept their heads down and took the lashing as it was directed at them. She did not see Kara anywhere.

She pushed open the door hard and stomped her way on to the warehouse floor. “Where is she, Lex?!”

Lex spun and smiled when he saw her. “We’re cranky this afternoon.”

“Where is she?” This time it was gritted through her teeth. “I swear to God, if you’ve hurt her, I–”

“All of the cables are in the right–” Kara trailed off as she crawled from beneath the transporter dock and caught sight of Lena and Lex squaring off. She stood slowly but hung her head at the disbelief radiating from Lena’s eyes.

Lena was relieved when Kara had emerged but now rage was boiling through her, both at Kara and Lex. “You’re helping him?!”

“Lena, I can explain–”

“No! You can’t do this!”

Kara stepped into her space and took her face into her hands. “Please help me do this. Please? I promise I will explain everything.” She looked to Lex who was watching them both, an eerie evaluative look like he was studying something he’d never seen before. “Just help _us_.”

Lena never could resist those blue eyes. She bit her lip and looked around the room. None of this was right. Kara and Lex working together...it made her stomach turn. But there was a nagging voice somewhere deep within her telling her to trust Kara. She had always trusted her and she would not stop now.

She nodded in response.

Kara sighed in relief. She stepped back from Lena and gestured for her to step closer to Lex so that he could explain how they needed her help. Never in a million years would she have guessed she would be in this position. Leading Lena to Lex felt so unnatural and her entire being screamed in protest.

“This is what I’m talking about! Team work!” A huge smile spread across Lex’s face. He wrapped his arm around Lena’s shoulders and steered her to the workstation, ignoring how she cringed at his touch.

“What’s wrong with it?” Lena asked looking up at the transporter. There was a faint smokiness in the room and she could smell burning.

“Every time we boot it up, it does this...” He tapped in the command on his tablet.

Lena watched purple static build in intensity within the transporter’s arch. Electric humming filled the entire warehouse, and just as she was about to bring her hands up to her ears to dampen the assault of the humming, sparks flashed like fireworks from all sides of the transporter’s stage. The room went dark and the humming faded.

She felt Kara’s hands grip onto her hips and pull their bodies flushed together protectively. She could not help reach down and take one of Kara’s hands, squeezing it gently in reassurance, while her other grabbed Kara’s thigh to keep them together.

“Reset the generator!” Lex called out into the darkness.

Less than a minute later, the lights came back on illuminating a now very smoky room. Lena coughed and crinkled her nose at the smell.

“Any ideas?” he asked.

Lena held out her hand for the tablet. “Give me some time to run diagnostics.”

Lex smiled as he handed over the controls to her. He clapped Kara on the shoulder and brought them both in for a hug. “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Having you both here means the world.”

Lena could tell that Kara was giving her fake professional smile that seemed to charm everyone when she was Kara Danvers. The gears of her mind started turning when she noticed that that same smile seemed to work on Lex too. Perhaps Kara was playing Lex just as he was trying to play her?

“Kara and I have to go take care of some other things,” Lex continued to Lena, “but you have all of my resources at your disposal. We’ll leave you to it.” He turned himself and Kara away from the workstation, never letting his hand leave Kara’s shoulder.

Lena was nervous to let Kara out of her sight. She watched them leave through the control room, anxiety building at not only the task she had before her but for their safety. Once again she was asked to work on something for Lex. Refusing would put her and Kara both at danger but complying could lead to other unknown dangers. She needed to be alone with Kara so they could get on the same page and make a plan on how to handle this. That was, if Kara had not really given into Lex and his crazed ideas.

She took a deep breath and turned to the workstation. For the time being, she would just have to play along too until she could figure out how to get them out of this alive.

************************************************************************************

“Where’s Kara?”

Lex had returned to the transporter room alone and Lena’s high anxiety level only increased when Kara did not come back with him.

“Don’t worry, she’s fine,” he said. “You’re going to have to start trusting me, Lena. We’re all on the same side now.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s getting fitted for her new suit.”

“New suit?”

“Yes. The Planet of the Light was ravaged by Kryptonite, remember? If she goes with me, and she must because she’s the only one who can open the facility, then I can’t have her passing out with all the Kryptonite that is embedded in the planet.”

Lena did not like this. Putting Kara on a planet that orbits a red sun was bad enough, that right there took her powers away from her. But that planet also being riddled with Kryptonite terrified her. How much was there? Would Lex’s suit be strong enough?

He saw the worry that had deepened her frown. “Lena, I designed the suit – it’s solid. I promise it’ll keep her safe.”

He wrapped his arm around her again and this time she did not make to move away. For now he was her big brother again and a part of her believed him, or at least wanted to believe him.

“Did you figure it out?” he asked as he looked back to the transporter.

“The reaction of the polyatomic anions needs to be strong enough to spark the core of the generator. You have enough power but you’re not balancing it out. The proper sequence won’t be triggered if you keep overloading the system.”

He whistled, his eyes narrowed at the transporter. “Too bad mother isn’t here to see you do this. Maybe she’d finally give you the credit you deserve.”

“Only when hell freezes over.”

“Just you wait. When all of this is done and we free her from jail, she’ll be the ever doting mother you always wanted,” he promised.

“I already have a mother who does that,” she sneered.

He stepped back with an amused look on his face. “Getting along with the in-laws? That’s a good sign!”

Lena rolled her eyes and turned back to the screen.

When Eliza had come into her life she had found the mother figure she had always wanted. Eliza was warm, compassionate, and dedicated to her daughters, and that had instantly extended to her and Maggie as well. Lena was not the scared and insecure orphan anymore and playing her off Lillian was not going to work this time.

She felt her mind flip back to not trusting him. It was amazing how he could do this to her, make her trust him and then a second later say something that made her want to run. She was tired of his tactics. Tired of him pitting her against their past and now her love for Kara. Tired of dealing with his duality. The sooner he was out of her life the better.

“What do you propose we do about this?” he asked.

“You need balance,” she repeated. “You need to increase the anion input without overloading the energy output. You need to maintain the element synthesis at a constant.”

“Okay then...Looks like we got a lot of work ahead of us.”

“What about the pair?” she asked. If there was something wrong with the transporter on this end then the same problem might be happening with its companion.

“The pair?”

“The other transporter...there has to be something on the other side to transport to.”

Lex’s face blossomed with realization. “It’s already in place. This transporter is a Kryptonian design. They built one on the Planet of Light when they built the facility. Once we get this one powered all we need to do is program the correct coordinates.”

“You got this design from the Kryptonians? Does Kara know?”

“I didn’t hide it from her, if that’s what you are asking.”

Lex turned back to the transporter. He put his hands on his hips and bit his lip in concentration. She had seen her father take the same pose countless times in her life. It was her default problem-solving stance too. It was a brutal reminder that she was a Luthor. That Lex was her own flesh and blood. Again she felt their sibling connection buzz within her.

“It’s amazing how little both of them know about the secrets hidden in their Fortress of Solitude,” he continued.

Lena did not have a response to this. Kara was smarter than he was giving her credit. Kara did not even give herself enough credit for her intelligence. But Lena knew. Although Kara rarely ever put that intelligence on display for others, she had eventually shown Lena that side of her and it had brought them closer together. Alex had said once, after she had finally accepted their relationship, that it was fitting that the two smartest people in this galaxy be together. Clearly Alex knew more about Kara’s past than Kara realized or cared to acknowledge. Lex was making a mistake by thinking Kara was uninformed.

“Guess I need to be writing some code if we are to connect with the other transporter,” Lex sighed. “I had really hoped we could leave later tonight.”

Lena scoffed at him. “You mean _I_ need to be writing some code. You didn’t do it right the first time.”

He laughed at her and it was the laugh of that old Lex, like when they were younger. He was Lex and not the monster that was hidden beneath in this moment. “Then go forth, oh savior. Perhaps you should be wearing the Golden Child crown.”

He took his leave again back to Kara, she assumed. She went into the control room and took up residence at the corner station to work. It took her nearly four hours to sift through the code already written by Lex and modify it to result in the balance she knew they needed. She tried not to dwell on how it was a bit of a metaphor between them: Lex always going head first into things, power the only weapon in his arsenal, while she was cautious and calculating, using anything and everything to find a solution.

She remembered what their father had said to their mother the night that he had died. _You should be grateful that our children make a perfect team. They complement one another quite well_. But her and Kara were the same, perhaps even a better example of symmetry and balance than she and Lex. She had craved a connection like her’s to Lex in this sense for years after that night that Lionel died and Lex had officially lost his way, and she had found it in Kara. They could be, already were, unstoppable together.

We just need to get on the same page, she thought again.

She promised herself right then and there that she would stop being so anxious. She would go along with Lex and Kara because the minute Lex tried to screw them over, and she knew her brother would, then together her and Kara would save the world from him.

She suddenly had a renewed belief in herself and her love of Kara. She felt she was thinking clearly for the first time in weeks as this belief provided her the necessary fuel to keep going. The code came so naturally to her and she began to analyze every move she had made in the compound, every thing she had overheard from the other researchers, every facial expression and attempted cover up from Lex. As she frantically typed the code into the transporter’s program, she felt a new sense of power.

With the code finished she instructed the transport team to reconnect the power source. She walked back into the transporter room and took a deep breath as she keyed in the startup command. Once again the transporter came to life, humming away as it warmed up. But this time the humming was not overbearing like it had been previously. The purple static again filled the archway of the transporter and it was softer and contained, not the erratic lightning that it had been when Lex had turned it on early. There were no sparks, no explosions. It was working.

The researchers and technicians all turned to her as they applauded the result. She felt her chest swell with pride. She knew she could do it. And if if she could do this then she could protect her and Kara.

“You did it, Lena!”

Lex came into the room amid the clapping. Kara was quick on his heels. It was her smile and pride beaming from her eyes that made Lena blush.

Don’t worry, Kara, she thought, I’m going to keep you safe.

“Ground Team 1, I want you gone within the hour. Let’s get moving people!”

Lex left Kara and Lena in the middle of the room and started directing orders at anyone and everyone he could see. He finally turned back to the two of them.

“Kara, how about some sun?” he asked her with the giddiness of a child on Christmas morning.

“Some sun would be nice.” Kara returned his smile as she interlocked her and Lena’s fingers together. “Can Lena come with me?”

“Sure. She needs to get fitted for her own suit and she can do that while she’s down there. You know your way back to the launch prep room?”

“Yeah, I can find it again.”

Lex turned away from them and started clapping his hands at the hustle he saw. “Alright people, let’s keep moving! We leave tomorrow morning!”

************************************************************************************

“Lena, you’re not coming!” This was the tenth time she had said those words since they left the launch prep room and were escorted back to their rooms.

Lena had pulled Kara into her room and refused to let her leave. The security team had radioed Lex and informed him of her demands before he told them to leave them alone and let them be. After the security team left and they were alone, Kara had jumped into her argument that Lena was not to go to the Planet of Light with them again.

“The hell I’m not! I’m not letting you go with him alone!”

“It’s not safe. I won’t be able to protect you! Don’t you understand that?!” Kara pleaded. “The Planet of the Light orbits Rao, a red sun. I won’t have my powers there.”

“Even more reason for me to go! You’ve always protected me. Why can’t you let me protect you for once?”

“Because I’ve lost you already! You have no idea what it was like!” Kara yelled. She had never before raised her voice at Lena in that way, not in any of their arguments or disagreements. They both prided themselves on being sensible when it came to matters in which they did not see eye-to-eye. But the grief of the past weeks finally got the better of her self-control. “Please, Lena,” she said softer, “I can’t...I can’t lose you again.”

“You didn’t lose me. I’m right here.”

“But I didn’t know it. I thought I had really lost you! I BURIED YOU!” At this Kara slammed her fists down on the table. It splintered into several pieces, sending several fragments crashing against the wall. Her eyes glowed a violent orange but she didn’t lose total control.

Lena’s chest was heavy. She had flinched when the table broke but she knew, had always known, that Kara would never hurt her and she didn’t fear that now. The only emotion coursing through her was guilt.

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through the last few weeks,” she whispered. “I tried for so long to find a way out, to find a way back to you. But I lost you too, you know? I was scared for your life while being forced to work here. I knew everyday I helped him was another day he’d be closer to figuring out who you were. You don’t think that was hard on me?”

Kara stepped forward and took Lena’s face into her hands. “I don’t want to argue about this. We’ve both suffered. But you have to let me do this alone.”

“No.” Lena brought her hands up to cover Kara’s. “There is no way I’m letting you go with him.”

Kara sighed in irritation. She had told Lex earlier when they were testing out the anti-Kryptonite suit that she did not want Lena coming and he too had disagreed with her and insisted that Lena join them. She was hoping that she could convince Lena not to come so that she could raise her own objections to her brother and make him leave her behind.

She turned away from Lena and rolled her shoulders. It had been so long since she felt the full strength of her powers. It was almost foreign to her. Her head hurt from all the noise in the building. In a way she felt like she did those few weeks after she first landed on Earth. She let her eyes sweep the room, trying to make focus only on their room and not the rest of the building. Images from other rooms and floors kept bleeding through into the sight of this room though and she finally closed her eyes and tried to center herself and her control. When she opened them again, the sight of too many rooms ebbed again and then stopped as she brought only this room into focus.

But that was when she noticed it. There was a camera in the room. It did not surprise her, really. Although Lex seemed to be agreeable to her at the time being and was working with her as a team, she knew he would still, at the core of it all, treat her and Lena like prisoners. She returned to Lena and brought her into her arms, trying to play it off like she had not seen anything.

“We’re being watched from the corner behind me. There’s a small camera. I don’t know if they can hear us though.” She felt Lena stiffen and tried to rub her back in a soothing pattern.

It took everything for Lena not to look to see for herself. “We’ve got to talk before we leave.”

“Just follow my lead,” Kara instructed, ignoring Lena’s mention again of going with them.

She released Lena and sat down on the cot. She kicked off her shoes and pulled off the scrub pants she had been given after trying on the anti-Kryptonite suit.

Lena mimicked Kara’s actions on the other side of the cot. This room, which had become somewhat of a safe haven for her, away from her brother and his staff, suddenly felt tainted and foreign. She tried to scroll through the time she had spent in this room wondering if she had done or said anything that she would not have if she had known he was watching. She felt stupid. Of course he had been watching.

Kara walked back to the main door to turn off the lights. The switch was the only thing in that room that they could control. She knew, though, that if Lex was watching the room then he would have a camera capable of still recording even in darkness.

“Face the wall opposite the camera,” she whispered into the darkness. She hoped that if what they were saying was being recorded that it would not be able to pick up on their whispers.

Lena did not hesitate or question the request. The cot was the size of a twin mattress and the only way for them both to fit on it was to lay on their sides. She felt Kara climb onto the cot behind her, felt her slip an arm under neck while the other went over her hip. Once Kara was settled she pulled Lena as close and as tight as she could. The exhale of relief from Lena was shaky and she felt tears forming at the brim of her eyes at how good this felt. She never thought she’d be in Kara’s arms again. God, this is all she ever wanted – all she could ever want. The tears finally fell when she felt Kara’s lips on her neck, making a path to the shell of her ear.

“I’m going to tell you everything,” Kara breathed as quietly as possible. “I’m sure the camera can still record us even with the lights out so I need you to stay as still and as quiet as possible, okay?”

Lena laid her arm along the arm that Kara had draped over her, interlocking their fingers and squeezing her hand in affirmation.

Kara took a deep breath and started. Her words were softer than a light breeze next to Lena’s ear. She spoke of Lex’s new plan, how he wanted them at the helm of this outrageous plan, with him in saving the world. She gave details for some of the things she knew should be in the labs on the Planet of the Light and what those things could mean for mankind. She paused here, unsure of how much she should divulge. She knew what it was like to try to keep a secret from Lena. Hiding her Supergirl identity from her for so long had nearly broke them and if Lena was going to the Planet of the Light then everything needed to be on the table.

She took another deep breath, squeezed Lena even closer, and described the results of Alex’s findings on her and Kal’s immortality on this planet, the motive behind her working with Lex. She struggled to find the right words, if that was even possible in this situation, as Lena’s body quaked in her arms. She could feel Lena’s tears dripping down onto her arm, could feel how Lena was straining to keep her sobs inside.

“I love you, Lena. I love you so much. I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner I just–”

Lena rolled to face Kara and buried her face into her neck. “Just promise me you’ll stay with me no matter what we find there.”

“I’ll always stay with you. Nothing can keep me away from you. I’m yours,” she whispered as she placed kiss after kiss on Lena’s forehead. “I’m yours forever.”

“He’s going to use us against each other.”

“I know.”

“Don’t let him.”

“We won’t.”

************************************************************************************

“Next time you send me a ‘ride’, Alex, just let me know that it requires flying.” Maggie grimaced as Kal set her down on Lena’s office balcony.

He had insisted on carrying her bridal-style and she was displeased that not only was her fiancée seeing her in this damsel position but so to were half a dozen other people as well. She could run into a burning building, fight off a dozen assailants on her own, rappel down buildings – she was a badass. But she did not like flying with Supers and that fear threatened that badass ego. She rolled her shoulders, pulling her jacket back into place, desperately trying to put on an air of dominance.

Alex smirked at the ritual before pulling Maggie into her arms. They shared a deep kiss until the sound of Winn’s fake vomiting noises made them pull apart. Alex only glared but Maggie flipped the latch on her gun holster and gave him a do-it-again-and-you’re-dead look.

“It was the only way to get you here without the FBI seeing you,” Alex admitted. She then turned to Kal as he stepped into the office. “Thank you for getting her,” she said as she pulled him in for a hug.

There was a redness across his cheeks. He was not used to Maggie’s in-your-face personality. “Detective Sawyer, if I had known you didn’t like to fly...” he started to stammer over Alex’s shoulder.

“She’s fine,” Alex said as she released him. “I’m glad you’re both here, though.”

Kal turned very serious. “Alex, Lex is in Stryker’s. I got visual confirmation and it was his heartbeat.” He shook his head. He looked sorry to poke holes in her theory. “That couldn’t have been him on the tape.”

“But it is, Kal. Watch it for yourself.”

Winn cued up the video and let Kal get his first chance at a viewing. They had all watched the video several times throughout the night trying to analyze anything and everything they could from each frame.

“Replay it,” Kal instructed as Lex and Hendricks left the screen. He rolled a chair up next to Winn and pulled the computer even closer.

He watched it a half a dozen other times before leaning back in the chair, a worried expression across his face.

“What are you thinking?” Alex asked.

“I’m thinking that that is him. It’s...” He stood and shook his head as he began to pace behind Lena’s desk. “It’s the old him. His demeanor, the way he carries himself, that’s the old Lex. Are you sure these videos are recent?”

“They are time stamped,” Winn reported.

Kal let this information sink in. “I used to go check on him at least once a week. I was astonished how he went from maniacal to being completely resigned. A part of me thought that maybe once I stopped him that he accepted his fate. But seeing this, seeing him like that...no one is that good of an actor, not even him. But his heartbeat is in Stryker’s!” They all watched as he argued with himself. “None of this makes sense.”

“So you think that is him on the video?” Vasquez asked.

“I do. That,” he pointed to the laptop, “is the old Lex. The Lex that tried to destroy the world. And if he is out in the world then we are in serious trouble.” He turned to Alex and addressed his next question. “Do you have any idea where he could be?”

“North Morrilton,” she replied.

Everyone in the room looked up at this. Alex had not been sure earlier but she said it now with confidence.

“Maggie, tell them what you told me on the phone.”

Maggie stepped forward and retold her conversation with Aris about how there was a weird buyer in North Morrilton that was making the alien smugglers nervous and how the police were staying away from the industrial park, the same park where one of LuthorCorp’s anti-alien divisions was located.

“All of that,” Alex supplied, “with the information that the Caeneus was last seen in North Morrilton according to Patrick...it can’t be a coincidence.”

“We need to get to North Morrilton and check it out,” Patrick said from across the room.

“Yes, but none of us except for Kal can really leave here. All of you,” she looked at Patrick, Gaby, and Travis and then to Winn and Vasquez, “are on the FBI’s radar now. And until we get them off of our backs then we are going to have our hands tied.”

“I think I can help there,” Travis smugly stated from the couch. He had a laptop on the coffee table and had been working silently but diligently all morning as everyone bustled about. “I’ve been able to trace a substantial amount of money paid out to Anders. Whoever tried to quietly pay him did a decent job but not a perfect one. I found the trail.”

“So he’s dirty?” Alex asked with hopefulness in her voice.

“I think so. There would be no reason for an FBI agent to receive this amount of money.” Travis looked back at his computer screen with a grimace. “But something’s not right. The money, it’s...it’s coming from L-Corp.”

Gaby and Patrick came up behind Travis to look for themselves. They all had a deep loyalty to Lena and this company and if it was one of their own that had done this then they would pay.

“Do we have a mole or was Lex able to get into the system?” Gaby asked, praying that the answer was Lex.

“Lex couldn’t have done this on his own. He would need at least one other person here to get this paperwork through. It looks like Anders was paid under the guise of a consultant fee.”

“Who approved it?” Patrick asked.

Travis pulled up the scans of the original forms and grimaced again. “Lena did.”

“Can you track who gave the forms to Lena?” Gaby asked. “Lena signs all kinds of paperwork throughout the day that is supposed to be vetted by several other people before it gets to her. We need to find out who it originated from.”

Patrick, Gaby, and Travis all dove into the task. They would not let whoever started this get away with it.

“We still need to get to North Morrilton,” Alex said.

“But like you said, none of us can get there. They know Vasquez and I are here and suspect that we stole documents,” Winn said, “which we did but whatever. Maggie is practically on desk duty since Kara’s accident and it would look suspicious if she turned up in North Morrilton–”

“I’ll go,” Kal said. He took two steps toward the balcony before Alex stopped him.

“No. I’m not letting you possibly walk into a trap by Lex. He knows Kara is Supergirl and knows you and the DEO will come for her. He’ll be prepared for you.”

Someone cleared their throat behind them. “How about me?”

************************************************************************************

The building manager leaned against the doorway and watched her as she inspected the two rooms. She just wanted a small office and told him she did not want to be on the ocean side. It was a strange request – all his renters wanted the ocean side view – but those rooms were all taken and he was happy to get business for the other side of the building.

“What brings you to North Morrilton?” he asked. “You from around here?”

“Are you required to know that for me to rent the space?” she retorted.

He turned bright red. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.”

She evaluated the furniture that was provided with the room. There was a desk, a file cabinet, and three chairs. It was enough for her to get started. Then she turned to the window and looked out toward the rest of the industrial park.

“It’s not much of a view,” he said, clearing his throat in an effort to overcome his earlier embarrassment. “Though this side is a bit quieter than the other side. Not much happens in that industrial park anymore since LuthorCorp shut its doors.

“L-Corp.”

“Excuse me?” he asked in confusion.

“It’s L-Corp now, not LuthorCorp,” she said

“Right. Well anyway, you won’t be disturbed on this side.”

“Could I move my belongings in today?”

“Sure thing. I just need you to fill out this paperwork and pay the deposit, then she is all yours.”

She took the clipboard from him and breezed through the form. She then pulled out a wad of cash and peeled off several bills and put them on the clipboard with the completed form.

He handed her the key to the room. Together they both left the small office space and took the elevator back down to the ground floor where his office was. He offered his help for moving in her stuff several times along the way but she refused him each time. The only thing she agreed to was the cart he suggested so she would not have to make so many trips.

She unloaded the half dozen cases from the trunk of her Honda onto the cart and rolled it to the elevators inside the lobby, avoiding his eyes the entire time. She locked the door to the office behind her and rolled her shoulders. She was used to long days and stress but not too much physical labor. Whatever Alex had packed was heavy. Each case had to weigh thirty pounds.

She walked back to the window next to the desk and looked south out across to the industrial park. Roughly two blocks away, just down the street, she could see the L-Corp division, the old LuthorCorp cement logo in a prominent position along its entrance.

She pulled out her phone and selected her most recently used contact.

“Alex, I’m in position,” Jess reported.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I read and edit these myself so all errors and typos are my own.
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr: @nevertobeships


	15. Chapter 15

“It’s time to move! Lex wants you in the conference room in ten minutes.” Massey slammed the metal door behind him. There was no electronic sequence to indicate that it had locked when it had closed.

Kara, who had started when he had come into the room, untangled herself from Lena’s still sleeping form and sat on the edge of the cot. They could not have gotten more than a couple hours of sleep. It must be the middle of the night still, she thought. She ran both palms up and down her tired face. Her body was tired, her mind was tired. Even her soul was tired. At least Lena knew the truth now about her and Kal’s immortality, how they would stop aging at a certain point here on Earth, and why she was helping Lex. She would let Lex get them to the Planet of Light but she would need to stop him before he could use any of the Kryptonian technology they found there. It was going to be tight, between going along with Lex and turning on him, and it would most likely be an epic fight, all without her powers.

She felt like this was what she was supposed to do, though. Something deep inside her told her she needed to get to the Planet of Light. She never had the chance to protect Kal like her mother had asked of her but maybe she could discover what her father had meant for her to do. Maybe she could fulfill at least one of her parents’ wishes and she was not going to let Lex and his plan for galaxy-wide domination get in her way.

She looked over her shoulder and watched Lena sleep on, Massey’s rude and loud command not even stirring her. It was obvious that Lena had not been sleeping much given the dark circles under her eyes. Kara wanted her to get as much of it as she could because she knew she would need Lena’s help with whatever was in their future. Her fingers, though, could not help themselves. They traced Lena’s jaw, curved around her ear, and entered into her dark hair. When Lena hummed softly and took a deep breath, it made Kara smile. She could almost pretend that they were home, in their own bed, on a lazy Sunday morning. Almost.

“Lena?” She let her lips follow the same path her fingers had previously taken, placing soft kisses on Lena’s pale skin.

Lena hummed again but this time opened her eyes.

Kara saw the softness in her eyes and could feel the love radiate from them. But worry pinched Lena’s brow suddenly and Kara knew why it had. Lena was remembering their discussion last night.

Lena sat up quickly and wrapped herself around Kara as tightly as she could. “Stay with me. Promise me you’ll stay with me.”

“I promise, I will never leave you. I love you and I always will.”

“I’m going today. I know you don’t want me to but I’m going.”

Kara sighed. “I know. I really wish you wouldn’t but I’ll feel safer knowing you are with me than being left back here with that Massey character.”

“I love you,” Lena said as pulled back.

Kara smiled in response. “I’m going to get us out of this,” she whispered, again unsure if they were being watched.

Lena’s eyes flashed toward the camera as she too remembered that they could be under observation. She kissed Kara hard, the pent up anxiety and grief of the past several weeks, of the night before, coming out. As she broke their kiss and again wrapped herself around Kara’s body, she whispered back, “ _We’re_ going to get us out of this.”

************************************************************************************

Lex turned as Kara and Lena’s footsteps echoed in the conference room. He was all business now compared to a few hours before. “Please have a seat and we’ll get started.”

The conference room, the same one they had been in two nights ago, was filled with a variety of people. By their uniforms and the way they had sat in groups, Kara could see three divisions among them. Every group had similar outfits with their names patched on each shoulder but the suits themselves were of different colors and accessorized with varying gadgets and features across the groups. She noticed that all the suits were designed much like the black one Lex had made for her. At the far end of the conference table were a half a dozen members in royal blue bodysuits with a chest pocket over their heart where a tool pack stuck out. It reminded her of Winn’s toolset that he carried around. She recognized a few of this group from the transporter room and the massive laboratory that functioned like the centerpiece of the building and assumed they were some sort of technician team. Across from them was a large group of bulky men in dark green bodysuits, already laden with tactical gear. Their commander was sat at the table while most of the team stood in strict military fashion along the wall. Then there was the red-haired man, Hendricks, and four other individuals that were sat closest to her and Lena. They were outfitted with dark brown bodysuits and had a mixture of what looked like basic tools and weapon holsters.

“Now that we are all here,” Lex continued, “let’s go over the plan. Each team leader and I have developed this as our course of action.” He pressed a button on the clicker in his hands and the projector turned to a geological map. “The transporter landing area is here on this beach, roughly a mile away from the compound. From what the initial test teams have found in the last few hours is that this planet is more similar to Earth than we first thought. That being said, keep your helmets and suits on until we get to do some on site testing. Commander Gemmell, would you like to step in here?”

The man from the second group that was sitting at the table in front of the dark green team spread out a few documents in front of him before clearing his throat. “We have not encountered any hostiles on either of our two trips in the last three hours. However, we have not left the beach and are unsure of what type of wildlife may be in the forest. It is critical that you do not stray from this path.” Lex pressed his clicker again and a red line formed on the map that followed the coast for a bit before turning inland. The Commander pointed to where the line turned and continued, “At this point, we must enter what is very similar to a coniferous forest. Now I will warn you, whoever named this the Planet of Light did not mean that literally. The forest areas appear extremely old so they are dense and the area is extremely foggy, especially the further you go inland. From the weather satellite that we sent over a few months ago this seems to be the norm for this part of the planet so stay close to the caravan and then the compound once we make it there.”

“What about the Kryptonians that were sent there? How do you know that none of them survived?” Kara did not mean to interrupt but the question had been on the tip of her tongue since Lex had first told her about this place.

“A few months back we sent two satellites through to the planet before the transporter malfunctioned. Using those satellites we found their crash site here,” Lex said as he clicked again and the map zoomed out, “about three miles from the transporter area which looks like it has a landing pad as well and I assume that was where they were headed. We of course don’t know if anyone made it out of the crashed ship but the area is riddled with Kryptonite and I just don’t think there would have been anyway for one of them to survive the crash and then walk that far through the Kryptonite to the facility. Our satellites also found a Kryptonian satellite in orbit around the planet and we were able to sync with it. That is where I discovered the message about you and the enzyme. From what I can tell from the satellite’s logs it has never been accessed. That is until I did. Again, I think this is a clear sign no one survived.”

“But if there are survivors you will be the contact between the two teams,” Commander Gemmell instructed Kara.

“I don’t like this at all,” Lena said, shaking her head in uncertainty. “How can we be sure that Kara isn’t going to be affected if there is so much Kryptonite?”

“Lena, I promised you that the suit will protect her, didn’t I?” Lex asked. He sounded like he was talking to a toddler. “She’ll be fine.”

Kara reached over and took Lena’s hand. “I’ll be okay,” she whispered.

Lex continued to the rest of the room, “The plan is that Lena, Kara, and I as well as the Discovery Team,” he pointed to Hendricks and his group, “will stay at the main facility. The outlying structures are the ones that seemed to have suffered the most damage in the Kryptonite shower following Krypton’s implosion. Conquest Team,” he pointed to the military group in dark green, “will split up, half will surround the main building for protection while the other half takes the rovers and explores these other buildings. Guidance Team will hang back at the transporter site. Any questions?”

The room was silent.

Lex smiled brightly and clapped his hands. “Let’s head out!”

************************************************************************************

The purple static of the transporter glowed brightly in the transporter room. Kara paced in a large circle around the research and tactical vehicles of the caravan. There were two military jeeps, one in front of and one behind the research trailer. Each jeep was outfitted with heavy plasma weapons similar in design to those she had once seen in a military parade through the streets of Kandor when she was younger. Lex had obviously been busy utilizing the information he had transcribed from the Fortress of Solitude. The research trailer, however, was very Earthly. Its interior was divided into three sections and filled with various laboratory equipment and computers. Lex had said it would be their base in the case that the main facility on the Planet of Light was not operational. The caravan was flanked by members of the Conquest Team on rovers that resembled ATVs. It was amazing yet terrifying how prepared Lex was, almost like he knew she would say yes to his plan and they would be able to make this trip.

What were they going to find? What had her father put there? A part of her wanted to sabotage Lex right here and now before they could go to the Planet of Light but another part of her wanted to find what her father had left for her and she needed Lex to do that. She felt so conflicted.

She sighed and rubbed her tired face again. She stretched her limbs, trying to release all of the stress building in her shoulders and neck. The black bodysuit pulled with her every move and the patches on her shoulders that read _K. Zor-El_ crinkled as a result. The suit was tighter than her Supergirl uniform but actually felt more comfortable in many ways. She missed her cape, though, and she kept reaching back to pull it around her to only realize it was not there.

“Where’s Lena?” Lex asked as stepped out of the research trailer.

She spun at the sound of his voice. He was in a similar black bodysuit as her own, the only difference was the _L. Luthor_ on his shoulders. “She went to change and get something from her station.”

“I’m right here.” Lena marched into the room also in a matching black bodysuit to Kara and Lex’s suits. She was snapping shut a messenger bag that was draped over her shoulder as she tried to balance both the bag and her helmet in her hands.

Lex looked suspiciously at the bag. “An entire research trailer and you still need a bag?”

Lena gave him a mocking smile just like she used to when they were younger and he teased her about her glasses. “Am I not allowed to bring the notes and work I’ve compiled since I’ve been here? It might be useful.”

“Whatever you say,” he conceded as he got a look at the binder and notebooks in the bag when Lena lifted the flap again. “Are you ready?” When they both nodded, Lex yelled at the front military jeep and then turned to the members of the teams milling about the caravan. “Alright everyone, helmets on and stick together!”

Kara brought her helmet over her head. As she locked it in place, she heard it hiss as it began to use the air filter system in the charcoal shell that fit across her chest and spilled over her shoulders and down her back like armor plating, anchored on her front and back by the metal belt that girded her waist. She looked over to Lena to make sure her suit and shell functioned properly.

Once every team was ready, the three vehicles and the rovers came to life and started a slow progression up the transporter ramp. Each team fell in line behind the last jeep and Kara and Lena joined the progression.

“Do you want me to carry that for you?” Kara asked as she grabbed the strap of Lena’s bag.

Lena tried to tug the bag away from Kara’s reach and shook her head. “I got it.”

Kara narrowed her eyes but let it go. Lena had been acting strange since they had left their room that morning but they were about to go to a different planet and the anxiety was high for the entire group. As she let go of the strap on Lena’s bag, her fingers traced the name patch on Lena’s shoulder and she felt her mouth go dry.

_L. Zor-El_.

************************************************************************************

_‘Are you excited, Kara?’ Alura leaned against the door frame, a loving smile across her face as she watched her daughter try to close a bag that was overflowing with gadgets and notes. ‘Are you starting your apprenticeship or moving to your own dwelling?’_

_Kara rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed. ‘Mother, I just want to be prepared.’_

_‘You will be great.’ Alura helped slip the bag over Kara’s arm, pressing down the new navy blue epaulets on her shoulders, and then kissed her forehead. ‘You are a member of the House of El. You are already great.’_

_‘I know.’ She had been told this several times throughout her life. ‘But what if I am not as intelligent as everyone thinks? What if it was luck or...an accident?’_

_Alura laughed at this. ‘You accidently got the highest score, higher than any Kryptonian before you, on every exam_ ? _’_

_Kara bit her lip. ‘Mathematically it is possible...’_

_‘Oh, my sweet child,’ Alura laughed again and guided her to the edge of the bed where she wrapped her arm around Kara’s shoulder as they sat.‘You are so dear to us and so, so special. You know that you are the first non-genetically predetermined Kryptonian born in five generations?’_

_Yes, she knew. She knew that she was different, had always known. The pressure of that difference had always hung over her head as if her peer’s constant taunts of her being a freak were not reminder enough._

_‘You are living, breathing proof of the greatness of this family. And look at you,’ Alura cupped Kara’s face and ran her thumbs across her cheeks, ‘perfect in every way.’_

_Her mother’s words echoed in her head the entire walk to the Science guild. You are already great...Perfect in every way...She did not feel great or perfect. A lump formed in her throat and she felt the tingle of anxiety in her gut as her footsteps echoed too loudly in her ears._

_The Science guild sat at the top of a large hill near the edge of Krypton’s capital. She was winded by the time she climbed the stairs to the employee entrance where, according to the file she had been given after the Ceremony of Adulthood, she was instructed to report. The door itself was unremarkable, not even having a handle or key code panel. She stood puzzled for a moment before she decided to simply knock in hope that it would be opened for her. Before her knuckles could hit the door’s surface, though, it opened for her automatically._

_‘Good morning, Kara Zor-El. Welcome to your first day of apprenticeship,’ a soothing female voice said as Kara stepped into a small entryway, no bigger than her wardrobe back in her room. The space filled with a pale blue light and the floor beneath her began to rotate slowly. A body scan started, the light sweeping over Kara as the voice continued, ‘Today you will report to Deck 8: Project Osiris. Leader: Zor-El.’_

_There was a hum of machinery and she felt a small lurch in her stomach that made her realize the scanning room served as an elevator as well. A beep resonated within the scanning chamber as the scan ended. The white doors in front of her opened as the blue light faded and the floor stilled._

_The lobby that appeared was also very small but brightly lit. There was only a small reception desk with a dark haired woman behind it. The receptionist looked up from her screen with a large smile that seemed to fill the entire space._

_‘Hello, Kara, and welcome to the Science guild. We are so honored to have you here. You may proceed to the consultation room. They are expecting you.’ She pointed down the hallway to a series of glass doors._

_Kara returned the woman’s smile but felt the lump in her throat grow larger. She walked tentatively down the indicated hallway trying to calm herself with each step she took._

_She peered into the first room she came across but it was empty except for a large table with chairs around it. The second room was where she found the project team sitting at a series of small tables, much like the desks in her school’s classrooms, facing her father who was lecturing from the front of the room. The images on the screen showed blueprints and schematics for a large structure. She was hesitant to interrupt but the receptionist had said she was expected._

_A member of the team, Tu-Ran, a man she had met several times before at her father's gatherings, caught her eye and waved her in. He must have said something because the entire room shifted their focus to the door and her father stopped his lecture._

_She opened the door and was happy to find that she was greeted by many hellos and smiles. Of the dozen or so people in the room, only one of the faces was unfamiliar to her. He was a boy of about sixteen that she later learned had been transferred from her mother’s guild for the team’s newest project. They were quickly introduced. The others had been in her life since she was born. They had all shared many dinners, celebrated holidays, and spent vacations with one another. It was this team that was responsible for her existence._

_All children were created from the bloodlines housed in the codex, a genetic database created to ensure Krypton’s survival should anything ever happen to the Kryptonian race. This is why so many twelve year olds knew or could predict with ease their professional assignment at the Ceremony of Adulthood_ – _they nearly always followed the footsteps of their genes because they had simply been made to do so. The cloning process created stability in many of the guilds, one example being the Labor guild. As Krypton turned its eyes back home, pulling back their reach from space exploration, the Labor guild was needed to create their modern society, the structures and the processes the Kryptonians would use to stay and flourish on Krypton. Although the artificial creation of individuals was first seen as a positive because of population control and guild stability, it also created sameness among these generations. Kryptonians became no better than artificial intelligence beings, slaves to their masters, or in this case their genes._

_Krypton’s Great Age of Discovery had ended by the third generation of genetically created individuals. Ironic to some, but blatant evidence for others, Krypton’s core had started to protest against their constant harvesting at the same time. There were plenty of advancements, of course. The House of El was proof of that. Zor-El had created a method to harness the power of Krypton’s ever increasing earthquakes and funnel it into a natural source of energy that would alleviate their need to continue harvesting the unstable core beneath them. Her uncles, Jor-El and Nim-El, had adapted the codex, making it stronger to guarantee its survival, as well as developing a method to extract Krypton’s genetic information and be able to create genetically controlled Kryptonian children without the need of the original Genesis chamber. Her mother had also written a bounty of new laws that eased the wars and conflicts on the planets in Krypton’s imperial territories._

_Krypton was flourishing but at a drastically reduced rate than before. It would only be a matter of time when another species would past them and their achievements._

_In Kara’s case, she should have been a member of this fifth genetically created generation but this team, their wide smiles and proud eyes evaluating her as she nervously stood in the door of the consultation room, had fought for her creation. They argued that Krypton could never replicate what nature could do on its own and pleaded with the Council to allow them to start mixing the genes of families that were not previously paired in the codex. It had taken them years to gain permission to create the first Kryptonian outside of the predetermined genes, to create her. She was to be the first child in the history of modern Krypton to have the genes of the House of El and House of In-Ze. She was the first child in five generations to be born outside of the Genesis chamber as well, instead maturing in Jor-El and Nim-El’s newly developed Initiation chamber._

_Her father used her and her achievements as evidence that the mixing of El and In-Ze genes was a successful experiment and he had high hopes for baby Kal who became the second born child outside of the codex and the first natural birth in years on Krypton because his mother, Lara, had carried him to term in her own womb. Together, Kara and Kal were the proof that Kryptonians could revert back to a natural order of things. And Kara’s success as a child was even more proof that a child with free will, imagination, and individual desire could be good for their stagnate society._

_Kara was hit with the full realization that her entire existence was owed to the people in this room. These people not only argued for her right to exist but also created her from her father and mother’s genes and then cared for her throughout the first year of her life in the Initiation chamber. She now not only felt the pressure of the great House of El but also from the people in the room. In many ways, they were just as much as her parents as her father and mother._

_‘Team, I’d like to introduce our newest member, my daughter Kara. You all, of course, know who she is,’ he continued with a small chuckle. ‘She will be a valuable member of this team and project.’ He smiled at her and motioned to the empty chair right in front of him. ‘Have a seat, Little One, and we’ll get you caught up.’_

_As she took her seat, she felt that pressure settle firmly on her shoulders. Rather than let it cause any more doubt she promised herself right then that she would do everything in her power to belong and prove that she was the person they all wanted her to be._

************************************************************************************

Commander Gemmell had been right. The inland portion of the Planet of Light was a dark place. Kara stood where the forest met the beach. It was remarkable how stark the difference was between these two areas, almost like they were two different dimensions from one another with different climates. The beach’s white sand glowed in the sunlight whereas the forest looked like it was in a constant state of dusk. The fog in the forest was thick and even from where she was standing she could see how saturated the forest was.

She peered down the pathway through the dense trees. The path was discernible but the plant life of the forest floor had tried to take it back for itself. She strained her eyes, trying to see the main facility through the dense fog. Although Lex had allowed her to use a sun lamp to get her back to full power before leaving, within a few steps on to the beach, bright under Rao’s light, she had felt her powers slip away. She felt so human, so normal without them.

“Conquest Team first, then the caravan. Everyone else stay back thirty yards. And stay on the path,” Commander Gemmell instructed.

Kara moved from the path to allow Conquest Team to progress. The caravan in their wake barely fit on the path. She could hear the low hanging branches of the trees scrape the top and sides of the research trailer. As she followed, she began to feel like she was being swallowed by the dark forest, the light of the beach not breaching into this apparent different world.

The caravan stopped after half a mile and Lex rushed forward. They could see the main facility now. It had sharp Kryptonian architectural lines and was several stories high, although nowhere near as high as the surrounding trees.

“Kara! Lena!” Lex shouted back at them. “We’re here.”

They joined him at the facility doors, the same they had seen in the images Lex had picked up on his satellites. There was a control panel to the left of the doors but it was darkened as if it was turned off or broken.

Lex look at Kara expectantly as if she knew what to do. She reached out her hand and tapped the black screen. At her touch it came to life and a voice filled the air.

“Power is at an insufficient level. Please proceed with emergency protocols.”

It was the same voice from the Science guild back on Krypton. The Kryptonese words flooded her entire being. She smiled sadly and pressed the screen again, making the message replay. _It sounds like home_.

“What is it saying?” Lena asked.

“It seems the power is out,” Lex supplied in annoyance.

Kara had forgotten that Lex could understand Kryptonese. “Yes, the power for the facility has been shut down. We won’t be able to open the door until we turn it back on.”

Lex examined the door closely. “And how exactly do we do that?”

“I have no idea.”

Kara examined the ground around her. The path they had been on that led them to the door was gravel but on either side of it was the same dense forest with trees right up to the facility’s walls. There were no signs of cables or the presence of any Kryptonian-made changes to the area around the facility. It was like the building itself had simply risen from the ground.

“Commander, set up a perimeter around the structure and keep a look out for a power source, a generator, something.” Lex turned back to Kara. “There has to be a power source somewhere.”

She nodded in agreement.

“Are you sure you don’t know where it is?” Distrust oozed with his every word.

“I’ve never been here and I didn’t know this place actually existed until you told me,” Kara contended.

“Let’s just wait for Conquest Team to finish their perimeter check. I’m sure they’ll find something,” Lena interjected.

Lex’s face broke out into a wide smile. “I’m sure you are right, Lena.” He then settled himself on the ground, back against one of the walls of the facility. Everyone else seemed to take this as a cue and relaxed, sitting on the vehicles and talking among themselves.

Kara found it unnerving how quickly Lex could go from anger and distrust to apparent calmness and rationality. They were going to have to be more careful around him. She began to pace up and down the path never straying too far from Lena who had pulled out a notebook and was studying its pages. After fifteen minutes of pacing she found herself examining the ferns and bushes amongst the trees that so closely lined the path. Out of the corner of her eye, the color blue on a tree ten feet off of the path caught her attention. In a scenery of deep greens and browns and the ashy color of the fog, the blue stood out and she was surprised she had not noticed it before. She walked up to one of the trees closest to the path and ran her hand over its bark. Then she moved further into the dense forest, running her hand carefully over every tree in her reach.

“Kara?” Lena’s voice called out.

“Ma’am! Stay on the path!” shouted one of the Conquest Team members that had been left behind. His shouts had raised the curiosity of everyone else including Lex who jogged quickly to where Kara had entered the forest.

Kara had reached the tree in question and found that the blue was actually the House of El symbol stamped into the tree. The tree itself was visually convincing but its artificial nature could be felt when she ran her hand over its bark covering. She looked up but because of the dense fog she could not make out its top. All she could see was the mere silhouette as the tree continued upward, seeking the sun’s light.

************************************************************************************

_‘It has been three weeks and the best any of you have come up with is to drill into the planet’s core? That is what got us into this mess in the first place!’ Zor-El shook his head. He turned in place as he evaluated the Osiris Team’s lab stations, hoping and praying to find a different solution among them._

_The stations formed a giant circle around a center conference table. This set up, her father had said, allowed for more collaboration. Kara’s station, however, was in the back corner of the room and separate from the others since she was the newest addition to the team. Her father had promised when they moved to a new lab she would be more included with the group with her own station at the circle._

_She looked down at her desk where the potted device she had made was sitting and wondered if she should speak up._

_‘This task is nearly impossible without drilling,’ Tu-Ran implored as he stood from his station. ‘You want a power source that runs from sustainable energy that won’t damage the planet. A source that is strong and will not be damaged by meteor showers and can survive in a wet environment. All on top of maintaining the planet’s aesthetic. It’s just not possible, Zor-El.’_

_Kara was unsure of why they were working on creating this power source or where it was taking place. She had long ago deduced that whatever planet they were referring to was not Krypton. The team, although welcoming in the past few weeks, had kept her in the dark about those crucial details. She was primarily an errand runner for them. She made trips every day to the House of Knowledge, Krypton’s great library, to pull information for them. She did baseline calculations for all of their attempts at designing this desired power source. They kept her busy which meant that she had to work on her own design for the device that sat in front of her at home on her own time._

_As Tu-Ran had listed out the requirements that her father had prescribed for this project, she spun the device on her desk, mentally checking off that she had met each criteria with it. Sustainable? Yes, as long as Rao continued to shine. Strong? She had thrown rocks at it and it still worked. Not exactly a meteor shower but it held up perfectly fine under her assault. Water resistant? No_ – _she had made it water compatible. She had learned during her brief training hours in her Labor guild that it was often better to make things complementary rather than prevent one force from working with another. As for aesthetic, her mother had complimented her on it, not really knowing that Kara was showing her something unusual._

_‘Someone in this room has to have a better idea!’ Zor-El’s face was worried. He seemed to have aged considerably in the last few weeks. He rarely went home and worked with a fever, like there was a deadline hanging maliciously over his head._

_Kara looked from her father around to the others in the room. Each of them had also become more stressed over the last few weeks and now they appeared consumed with guilt at failing her father. She wanted to help them but was nervous that they would find her ignorant. After all, they had not allowed her to really help. She spun the device around once more before making her choice. With some difficulty she picked up the pot and the connecting piece that led to the information tablet and walked to the table in the center of the stations where her father was standing. He had his back to her but turned at the sound of her placing the device on the table._

_‘What is this, Kara?’_

_‘A Rao Tree,’ she stuttered under is evaluating eyes._

_In front of her was a pot with five small Traustur trees. These trees often decorated Kryptonian homes because of their size and they were easy to care for by anyone even a child. They had deep green leaves with strong veins and ridges fanning out into its four points._

_‘No, these are Traustur trees.’ Zor-El looked confusedly at her._

_Kara let out an embarrassing laugh, a part of her wishing she had just stayed seated. ‘Four of them are. But this one,’ she pointed to the tree in the middle, ‘is a Rao tree. And I made it for your project.’_

_‘What’s a Rao tree?’ It looked just like the four surrounding Traustur trees to him._

_‘Your power source.’_

_She took the tablet that was connected by a series of wires to the base of the pot and typed in the command she wanted. At once the sound of gears turning was emitted from the pot and the middle tree shook slightly. Then, the top of the tree extended up several inches higher than the other trees and its branches rotated over. The underside of each ‘leaf’ was a black photovoltaic surface._

_‘These,’ she pointed to the metal leaves of the Rao tree, ‘will absorb Rao’s light. Then in the trunk of the tree it is converted into power. This tablet is not only running the tree but is also gaining its power from it. So it’s sustainable with Rao’s light.’_

_She stopped here and looked up into his face. He was looking at her as if she was a stranger._

_Her voice stuttered on her next words as she typed in another command. ‘And it can protect itself and the area around it.’ A metal cylinder, like an antenna, rose from the middle of the tree. It bent itself to a ninety-degree angle once it had full extended and then fanned itself out into a circular shape over it and the surrounding Traustur trees._

_‘See, this dome will protect the Rao tree. I don’t know if the type of metal I used will stand up against a meteor but it can handle regular rocks.’_

_‘What about water?’ Zor-El asked._

_‘When it rains you turn the leaves like this,’ she typed in yet another command that closed the fanned dome and angled the leaves so they formed a funnel shape down into the middle of the tree, ‘and the water will flow into the center. The trunk has two compartments: the core where the power is converted and then a layer between this core and the outside bark covering. The water will go into this middle layer. The water will keep the tree from overheating during conversion and then you also have it stored to be used by the populace.’_

_Zor-El looked around the room without saying anything._

_‘And you and mother couldn’t tell it wasn’t a Traustur tree so it matches its surroundings. I assume that is what you meant by aesthetic,’ Kara said softly. Her cheeks burned at his continued silence. She also looked around the room and found the rest of the team looking at her much the same way her father was._

_Suddenly Zor-El broke into laughter. He came around the table and picked her up, squeezing her tightly. The rest of the room also began shouting and clapping._

_‘You did it, Kara!’_

************************************************************************************

“Rao trees,” Kara laughed lightly as she let her fingertips caress the fake bark around the House of El symbol in the tree.

“Rao trees?” Lex asked. He and Lena had followed her into the forest and behind them two members of Conquest Team came up on their rear.

“It’s a solar tree that can also provide shielding to the surrounding areas, one of many I would expect since the facility is so large. I guarantee you it was the Rao trees that kept the main facility safe from the Kryptonite shower.”

“It’s brilliant. You can hardly tell it from the rest of the trees,” Lena said in awe as she examined the tree and began to make sense of how it worked. “Imagine if we had these on Earth!’

“Maybe the specs are in the facility. We could definitely take the design back with us.” Lex put his hands on his hips and peered upward into the fog, trying to make out the tops of the trees.

“I already know how to make them,” Kara said as she started to make her way back to the main path. “It’s my prototype.”

“You made this? When we get back, you are no longer allowed to work for Cat Grant,” Lex laughed.

Lena jogged a few steps and fell in line with Kara. She took her hand and squeezed it, that same pride radiating out of her eyes. “He has a point,” she whispered.

Back at the panel next to the entrance, Kara pressed the emergency symbol in the bottom right corner.

“Passcode required,” the voice rang out.

It had been so long since she had use it, since she had even thought about it, but it came to her fingertips easily. The code had been given to her on her first day of her apprenticeship and it was what she had used to access the laboratories in the Science guild. She punched in the code and heard the access override tone. Around them several trees shuttered and a hum overtook the previous unsettling silence in the forest.

“What’s that noise?” Lena asked looking up into the clouds. She tightened her grip on Kara as if an attack was coming.

“The solar panels. We’ll need to give them a few minutes to convert enough power for the basic operations to come back online.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I read and edit these myself so all errors and typos are my own.
> 
> Come yell at me on tumblr: @nevertobeships


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains a side character death and has description of violence

 

They waited. 

Kal had been gone over twenty-four hours. He had confirmed to Alex and the team that the Lex Luthor in Stryker’s was not in fact the real Lex Luthor like he had originally thought. With the help of the Metropolis DEO division it was revealed that it was an alien of some sort, a shape-shifter species who had been abducted and forced to pose as Lex. The heartbeat was the same, though, something Kal still couldn’t explain. But he couldn’t waste anytime ruminating over it; he couldn’t with Kara’s life at risk. 

His next move was to the President to plead the DEO’s case and to provide the information on a potential FBI/NCPD cover up using the evidence Travis had uncovered at L-Corp. They could cast more than enough doubt on Anders and Massey, and by extension the entire investigation led by the FBI. But it was the President who had given the FBI the go ahead and impeded the DEO. Kal had to convince her to let the DEO out of the clutches of the untrustworthy FBI. 

And so they waited. 

Alex paced the entire L-Corp building. The only time she stopped was to take the update calls from Jess who had remained in North Morrilton to stake out the old LuthorCorp branch there. She currently found herself in a side stairwell, wandering up and then back down several floors worth of stairs. The ache in her legs felt good. It kept her grounded because every minute that crept by brought worse thoughts of Kara injured, tortured, or...no she pushed that last thought away again as she started to take the stairs two at a time. Then she thought of Lena, and this made her freeze. Could Lena really be alive? What had Lex done to her if she was? The same thoughts she pushed away about Kara haunted her again but with Lena’s face. She shook her head and turned, stomping down the stairs she had just climbed. She should have investigated Lena’s death further. She should have been a better sister to her. 

She stopped, gripping the rail tightly to keep her upright because the guilt and the grief, the loss of control was pulling her every which way. It was too much. When she let herself feel it all it knocked her off of feet. She collapsed down onto the steps and a sob broke from her mouth. And then she let out a scream of anger that echoed through the stairwell. It took everything in her power not punch the wall over and over as the air left her lungs. When the anger had subsided, she held her head in her hands and tried to get her heart rate back to normal. 

“Alex?” Maggie’s voice echoed down from several floors above her accompanied by the slam of one of the stairwell doors.

Alex looked up and watched Maggie race down towards her in a fit of worry. 

“Was that you that screamed? Are you okay?” Maggie slid to a stop at the top of the flight stairs Alex had collapsed down on. “Alex, talk to me...”

“I’m fine...I’m...” another sob broke free coupled with more boiling rage, “I’m not fine! I want to hurt them...I want to kill them!”

Maggie sat behind Alex and wrapped her arms around her. “Who do you want to kill?”

“Lex and Hendricks and Massey and Anders! All of them that did this!”

“Babe, you have to calm down. We’re going to find Kara. We’ll find her,” Maggie promised. Though a part of Alex wanted to believe her, the part that doubted that promise was growing too quickly to quell. 

It took almost an hour to settle Alex; the anger that was shaking her body slowly but surely subsided with each breath she took. Maggie thought at one point that Alex had fallen asleep there in her arms but then Alex was quick to answer the buzzing of her phone in her pocket. 

“Kal!” She stood too suddenly, needing to brace herself on the wall to keep her balance. “No, you can’t. Lex has something that will make kryptonite stronger. We can’t risk you too...” She listened intensely and then spun around to Maggie, a look of determination churning behind her eyes. “We’re leaving. Go get Winn.”

************************************************************************************ 

“You did good, Jess.”

“Why the surprise?” Jess gave Alex a cocky smile. It was nice to be back with everyone and she knew they were happy to be out of L-Corp. 

“What have you learned so far?”

The space Jess had rented was filled with the cameras and computers Alex and Winn had sent with her. She had kept track of all the activity she could see around the LuthorCorp branch. “Not much, I hate to tell you. There were a couple of trucks that came early this morning. I’ve only seen a half a dozen guards milling about the property.”

“Do you have their routine though? The paths they take?” Maggie asked. She bent one of the blinds of the office window and peered out over the industrial park. 

“I do,” Jess reported. “Did you bring the blueprints and schematics?” 

Winn cleared a space on the desk and laid out the building’s plans. “I’ll need to be in the building to get into their system. The facility may be a few years old and outdated but it is still Luthor tech and I won’t be able to do much from here.”

Jess looked down at the sheet that displayed the main level’s outline. “There are cameras and security precautions, of course, but it looks like they have a small security team that walks the perimeter of the property.” Jess drew a large rectangle with her finger around the outline of the building. “A team of two stay at the front gate at all times – I have seen them switch out at the eight hour mark or so.”

“Anyone else?” Alex probed, studying the sheet Jess was using.

“The two trucks went past the facility to the east side. From these blueprints it looks like there is a loading bay along the back. They must have gone that way.”

“The team that J’onn sent are downstairs,” Winn reported. He put his phone back in his pocket and began picking through the supplies at what they would need to take with them. “He’s running point from headquarters but said you are point here on the ground, Alex.”

Maggie pulled her hair up into a ponytail and cracked her knuckles. “Did you have them bring gear for me?”

Winn nodded his head. “They brought you a vest, a plasma pis–” 

“Maggie, you’re not going. You need to stay back and lead the team with Winn that will follow once the building is cleared,” Alex insisted. 

“No! I’m not letting you face Lex Luthor alone!” 

“It’s too dangerous! I can’t let–”

“She’s my sister too,” Maggie implored. “We may have already lost Lena, I’m not losing Kara too. Or you.”

_ ‘She’s a Luthor. A Luthor, Kara! You know what her brother has done, what her mother has done to us! How could you do this?’ Alex shouted at her younger sister. _

_ Maggie grabbed her wine glass quickly as Alex ripped herself from the table, nearly upending it. Alex took two steps but whipped back to face Kara. Maggie was tempted to grab her girlfriend and hold her back but Alex’s sudden outburst had left her in shock.  _

_ Maggie had heard Alex and Kara tell stories of how they had fought a lot when they were younger but she had never seen them argue in person. Disagree and maybe get a little heated but nothing like this. Alex was standing over the table, her hands on her hips. She stared down at Kara, her eyes oozing disbelief and anger. But Kara wasn’t looking at Alex anymore. Instead, she was staring right at Lena, evaluating her. Lena stared right back at Kara, giving no sign that Alex’s outburst had affected her though Maggie knew there was no way it couldn’t have done so. She looked between the three of them suddenly feeling her alliances split. She wanted to support Alex because she knew that she worried too much about Kara as it was. Kara’s well-being had somehow fully fallen on Alex’s shoulders and though Alex was so strong she often cracked under that pressure. At the same time she wanted to support Kara because somehow that blonde ball of sunshine had dug herself into her heart. Kara was the sister she never knew she had wanted and it amazed her how quickly these two Danvers sisters had become her support and family. Alex was too hard on Kara and this was one of those times. She wanted to side with Kara and tell Alex to back off but also didn’t want to start a fight between her and her girlfriend either. Then there was Lena. Lena, too, had infiltrated her life and had become a close friend, someone who was there for her when her and Alex fought or when she needed someone from a dysfunctional family to listen and understand. All three of them had their own side in this confrontation and she felt like she was stuck in the middle of it all. How was she supposed to be a good girlfriend, an older sister, and a friend all at once? _

_ ‘I can’t believe you just said that.’ Kara rose slowly from her seat and turned on Alex. ‘How could you say that? She saved your life and she has proven herself over and over to everyone. And she didn’t have to!’ Kara was now right up in Alex’s face. Maggie was surprised that Alex was able to stand her ground with the anger radiating from Kara. She could have sworn that Kara’s eyes had a flash of orange to them at first before Kara was able to gain control of herself and that alone should have made Alex back down. ‘She should be allowed to live her own life, not one handed down from her mother or brother and definitely not one you people keep trying to pin her to! And I’ve chosen to live it with her!’ _

_ ‘You can’t. You know you can’t,’ snarled Alex. She cast a suspicious glance in Maggie and Lena’s direction, and Maggie knew then that she wasn’t the only one who saw the flash of orange. This wasn’t the first time Alex had faced such anger. ‘Let’s finish this in private.’ _

_ Kara turned back to the table and tried to give a supportive smile but it was lost on Lena who was staring across the room. When she looked down to Maggie’s face there was fear but also resolution, a resolution Maggie had seen from a hero dressed in blue and red. She finally understood. She had always wondered, had her suspicions, but now she was finally sure. And in that moment Kara knew that Maggie knew. A sad smile pulled at Kara’s lips. She softly shook her head when Maggie started to stand as if she was going to come with her to continue her argument with Alex. Kara gave another glance to Lena and then back to Maggie, and Maggie understood.  _

_ ‘Alex gets a little crazy when it comes to Kara,’ Maggie said, breaking the silence that had settled in the apartment once the sisters had climbed out the window onto the fire escape. She turned to Lena as she sat back down at the table and what she saw broke her heart. Lena was staring at a spot on the opposite wall, a tear slowly making its way down her cheek. Maggie knew the pose well. It was one that many children with abusive parents engaged in, one that she had also used before she had gotten herself out of her shitty home life. Lose yourself in your mind, pretend none of it is happening around you.  _

_ Lena exhaled loudly when Maggie took her hand and brought her back to reality, finally releasing the breath that had built up during Alex’s tirade. She did not face Maggie, though. Instead, she folded her hands in her lap, and focused her attention on rubbing her thumb over the small scar on her left hand.‘She’s right,’ she whispered sadly. ‘Kara and I can’t be together. I know I don’t deserve her.’ _

_ Maggie scoffed and then drained the rest of her wine. ‘How can you say that, Lena? I’ve seen the way you look at her. And the way she looks at you. I don’t think you two could stay away from one another even if you tried.’ She poured herself another glass of wine and then topped Lena’s glass off as well. ‘And don’t give me that shit of not deserving her. You have got to start believing in yourself.’ _

_ ‘But she’ll always be guilty by association if she’s with me. I’ll never be able to live down my family’s past and it’s not fair to put that burden on her too.’ _

_ ‘Lena, you are so good. People are learning that and respecting you! And those who still hold what your brother did against you are assholes.’ _

_ Lena shook her head as more tears fell. ‘Why do you believe in me? I’m not worth it.’ _

_ Maggie wrapped her arm around her and put a soft kiss on her temple. ‘You are worth it. You are so worth it and you deserve to be happy. If Kara makes you happy then you need to fight for her and something tells me,’ she whispered remembering every instance that now seemed so obvious about Kara’s secret, ‘that it is only going to get harder. You are going to have to fight for her,’ she repeated. ‘And I will be right there, helping you.’ _

_ Lena didn’t respond. They sat in silence, Maggie’s hand rubbing up and down Lena’s arm in attempted reassurance, for almost an hour before they heard Kara’s footsteps banging down the fire escape.  _

_ ‘It’s going to be okay,’ Maggie said as she pulled away.  _

_ Lena nodded yet put her head down in defeat as Kara climbed through the window. Maggie knew she still didn’t believe her. And when Kara led Lena to the door so they could go home she looked just as defeated too.  _

_ Maggie knew she had to do something. She was not going to let this family, the family that she loved so much, fall apart like this. With every step she took up the fire escape and across the roof to where Alex was sitting on the edge, looking out over the city, her protective instinct for them all grew. _

_ Alex barely glanced at her when she came up behind her.  _

_ ‘You know those were some pretty shitty things you said downstairs, right?’ Maggie crossed her arms, prepared to have a fight with her girlfriend if it meant smoothing things out between all of them.  _

_ ‘You don’t understand.’ The hoarse of Alex’s voice made her retort so much more threatening.  _

_ ‘I don’t understand? You know what, Alex? You’re right. I don’t understand any of this. You want Kara to be happy and when she finds someone who makes her happy, and even you have to admit that Lena does that, you get pissed.’ _

_ ‘She’s a Luthor!’ _

_ ‘And I’m a Sawyer!’ Maggie yelled back. ‘Just because she has a fucked up family doesn’t mean she’s a bad person! You’re dating me and you know well and good the shit that I come from.’ _

_ Alex tore herself from the edge of the building and rounded on her. ‘It is different with her! Your family may be a bunch of assholes but they didn’t kill thousands of people!’ _

_ ‘Lena had nothing to do with that!’ _

_ ‘There is more at play here than you realize,’ Alex said dismissively. ‘My worry about the two of them extends further than you know.’ _

_ ‘Worried about Lena and Kara? Or a Luthor and a Super?’ _

_ Alex froze. ‘I...I don’t know what you think the Supers have anything to do with this...’ _

_ ‘Oh c’mon, Alex. Are we really going to keep this up? You freak out about every little thing Supergirl does just like you do with Kara. You two have more secret conversations than probably all the politicians in the world and for a governmental agent you aren’t that sneaky. And those stupid glasses don’t count as a real disguise once you make the connection. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it earlier, honestly.’ _

_ With a resigned sigh, Alex ran her fingers through her hair as she evaluated Maggie’s argument. Continuing to lie at this point would be futile. ‘I like Lena,’ she admitted softly. ‘I really do. If she was anyone but a Luthor I would be perfectly fine with this.’ _

_ ‘The reasons you like Lena are because she’s a Luthor. Her having that name and those experiences are what make her who she is. And you have to give her credit, she is a great person in spite of all that she’s been through.’ _

_ ‘But what if this is all a ploy to kill Supergirl? Befriend her, date her, and then bam! Right when Kara’s guard is down go in for the kill.’ _

_ Maggie laughed at this. ‘I know I made it out that someone would have to be a complete idiot not to know Kara is Supergirl, but let’s face it Lena is probably the dumbest smart person. I don’t think there is anyway she knows.’ _

_ ‘Kara swears Lena doesn’t know,’ Alex scoffed. _

_ ‘Then what are you so worried about? This can’t be a ploy if she doesn’t know.’ _

_ Alex looked over at her with utter annoyance. ‘How long do you really think Kara will be able to hold out on that secret?’ _

_ ‘I don’t know but that is between them.’ She wrapped her arm around Alex’s shoulders. ‘I know your mom put a lot of pressure on you to take care of Kara. And somehow you chose a path where taking care of Kara is your job _ – _ ’ _

_ Alex pushed Maggie away and looked at her in confusion. ‘You know that’s not my actual job, right?’ _

_ Maggie rolled her eyes and brought Alex back in closer. ‘You’re going to have to let her go. She’s going to have to make these choices on her own.’ _

_ ‘She can’t do this one on her own...’ _

_ ‘And if Lena does decide to get all evil in the future then she’s going to have both of Kara’s sisters kicking her ass.’ She smiled at Alex’s laugh. ‘But you know what? My gut says that’s not going to happen.’ _

Alex couldn’t argue with that. They were family. The four of them had been through so much, yet some of the best times in her life happened when they were all together whether it be at the bar, or a lazy Sunday afternoon in the park, a baseball game, or a quiet dinner. This was her family and she would walk to hell and back to protect it. She couldn’t blame Maggie for feeling the same way.

“We’ll find her, and end all of this,” Maggie promised once again.

************************************************************************************

“Whoa, whoa, stop right there.” The security guard at the LuthorCorp branch held his hands up and placed himself between the jeep and the gate.

Another guard in a similar uniform stepped out of the guard house and slowly approached the jeep. It didn’t look like a typical supply transport and there was nothing in the logs that said to be expecting a delivery. Even so, all deliveries were routed to the loading bay around back, not the front gate. “Can I help you?” he asked as he approached the driver’s side window. 

Maggie narrowed her eyes from the driver seat and then smiled. “No, you can’t.”

The guard never saw Vasquez step from the back of the jeep or take aim. The tranquilizer dart pricked him square in the neck. Before his body hit the ground, Alex had fired a similar round into the guard standing between them and the gate.

The team patrolling the perimeter were just as easy to take out. Almost too easy, Alex thought. How were there no alarms? No intercepting team. Nothing. As they stormed the main lobby, twenty strong that were armed to take down a fortress with back-up teams surrounding the entire industrial park, they still met no resistance. The lobby was empty. The lights weren’t even on, giving the building’s interior a creepy abandoned feel. The team froze and looked at one another. Everyone was on edge now. 

“Let’s split up. Team 1 to the right and Team 2 to the left,” Alex instructed. 

She pulled her night vision goggles down onto her face. Her and Team 1 broke off from the others and prepared to go down the corridor to the right. She looked over to Maggie who would lead Team 2. “I love you. Be careful.”

Maggie winked before for sliding her own goggles on. “I love you,” she mouthed back.

With a tap on the shoulder of the agent in front of her, Alex and her team rounded the right corner. They headed for the stairwell at the end of the corridor that would lead them into some sort of massive laboratory. Alex mentally ran through the blueprints. Fifty yards straight, then the stairs on the right, she repeated to herself. Fifty yards and four levels of stairs between her and Kara. Hopefully.

They reached the stairwell without issue. She radioed in this to Winn who was tracking both teams through GPS and he confirmed that they were headed in the correct direction. As they slowly climbed down the first two flights of stairs, a door above them slammed shut. Alex jerked her head up and the entire team froze again. 

“Vasquez, keep moving down toward the lab,” she instructed. She moved through the team and back up the stairs, her gun pointed above her in caution.

Four levels above where she had left the team she peered through the window pane in the stairwell’s door and saw lights down a hallway of what appeared to be offices. She opened the door just wide enough to fit through and pushed it close behind her as quietly as possible. 

She had taken no more than two steps away from the door when Massey entered the hallway from an office half way down. When their eyes met Massey was quick to pull his gun and get two shots off at her. Each round hit the door behind her as she ducked into one of the offices to her left. 

His footsteps thundered down the hallway towards the room. As he appeared in the doorway she was able to get a punch off to his face. He quickly regained his composure, though, and tackled her to the ground. His arm wrapped tightly around her throat and he was able to pin her to the office floor. 

“You’re too late, Danvers,” he spat in her ear. “Your sister is already gone.”

“No! No!” she screamed.

She threw her head back and heard the satisfying crunch as his nose broke. His grip on her released and she jabbed her elbow into his side before crawling out from beneath him. She kicked his ribs once, twice, but as she went for a third he was able to grab her leg and throw her off balance. His fist smashed into the side of her face when she fell back to her knees. And then he pulled her up off the floor by her hair before delivering a punch to her gut that vaulted her over a desk.

“Your sister is gone,” he sneered again as he wiped blood from his face. He came around the desk and hovered above her. “Lena is gone. And before I kill you I’m going to make you watch me kill that bitch of a  fiancée of yours.” He brought the heel of his foot down to her chest hard and then returned the kicks she had given him to her side. 

She rolled away from him and climbed gingerly to all fours. She heaved as she tried to get air back into her lungs. The rage boiled in her once again. She slowly reached for the knife in her belt, murderous thoughts making her see red. “You won’t touch Maggie. You won’t leave this building alive.”

“Don’t even think about it, Danvers!” He had picked his gun up from where it had fallen during their struggle. He aimed it right at her, daring her to pull the knife. “Maybe I’ll just have to kill you first in front of her then, huh?”

“The fuck you will.” Maggie stood in the doorway, her gun trained at Massey’s head

“Put the gun down, Sawyer!” He grabbed Alex’s collar and forced her to stand, his gun barrel never steering away from her. “Put it down now!”

Alex winced as his scream pierced her ear. She could feel his hot breath coating the side of her face and it made her want to gag. The end of his gun was now painfully pressed it to the side of her head. 

_ Shoot him, Maggie. Just shoot him. _

Almost like he sensed what she was thinking, Massey pulled her body up to shield himself from Maggie’s aim. There was no way Maggie would be able to get the shot off with their positions like this. 

“Do it, Sawyer!” He fired a round into the ceiling and then brought the barrel of the gun back to Alex’s temple. 

Alex watched several emotions flicker across Maggie’s face before she lowered her gun several inches. Their eyes met and they knew what they had to do. There was so much that could go wrong, though, and Maggie’s face displayed that fear.

“I trust you,” Alex mouthed. 

Maggie gave a slight nod, and then brought her gun back up. 

“Don’t get any ideas! I mean–”

The end of Massey’s sentence was never heard. 

Alex grabbed his wrist and the top of the gun. She pulled his arm forward, away from her head. The shot from his gun rang right past her face. She felt the heat as the bullet burst from the end and gunpowder showered her face. With all of her might she pulled him by his arm folding her own body down in an effort to make herself a smaller target. Her body took most of his weight as she felt his feet start to leave the ground, her shoulder and back lifting him as she continued to pull his arm down and across her. His head appeared right above her shoulder and that is when she felt the searing pain of the bullet as it grazed her. 

Massey’s body suddenly went limp and Alex crumbled under its weight and the pain in her shoulder. She fell to the floor hard and Massey’s lifeless form collapsed on top of her, knocking the breath from her lungs. 

“Alex!” Maggie’s scream filled the room.

“Get him...get him off of me,” Alex pleaded as Maggie’s face appeared above her. 

Maggie rolled Massey’s body over and it hit the floor with a loud final thud. Her shot had hit him right above the eye. 

“Really? He has like the biggest forehead known to mankind and you still grazed me?” Alex croaked out as she turned to look at his body before she slumped back to the floor. It was too much effort to prop herself up even with the adrenaline still rushing through her. 

“Shut up, Danvers,” Maggie said with tears in her eyes. She dropped to her knees and ran her fingers through her Alex’s short hair as she leaned down and peppered her face with kisses. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Alex kissed Maggie’s lips with all the love and trust she could muster. “How did you know where I was?”

“Vasquez got worried when you didn’t come right back to the team and radioed Winn who gave me your location.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come up here alone.” She then remembered what Massey had said. Kara was gone. “Maggie...She’s not here, is she?”

Maggie’s eyes fluttered closed as she shook her head. “Both teams are still sweeping the building but they aren’t finding anything. Just a bunch of lab geeks and light security. No sign of Kara or Lex.”

“He said it was too late, that she was–”

“Don’t think about that. Not until we know for sure. He was probably trying to get a rise out of you.” Maggie kissed Alex’s forehead again and then pulled her into a sitting position. “Let’s get you downstairs and get that shoulder looked at.”

“Alex?” Winn’s voice came through their COMS system. 

“Yeah, Winn?”

“We found something you and Maggie should probably see.”

Alex took another deep breath and stood with the help of Maggie. “Where are you?”

“Sub-level five, east side of the building.” 

It was a slow procession down the stairs but Alex and Maggie at last reached Winn in the location he had indicated. 

“What did you find?” Alex asked.

“Looks like a prisoner. We didn’t want to interfere with them without you.” He held open the door and allowed them to step inside a room that resembled a military grade interrogation room.

In the middle of the room was a person tethered to a chain system that ran up into the ceiling. A canvas bag covered their head. It took a moment of study for Alex to even detect that the person was breathing.

“Can you get us a med kit?” Maggie asked of Winn as she joined Alex in the room.

Alex pulled the canvas bag off of the figure’s head. What she found made her recoil. The man’s face was almost completely covered in deep blue and purple bruises. One eye was swollen shut and the bottom half of his face was caked in dried blood. 

“You might want to bring two, Winn. We need to get him out of this.” Alex motioned to the chains fastening the man to the ceiling rig.

With the help of two agents, Maggie unfastened the man’s chains and lowered him all the way to the floor. When he could prop himself up a bit, she put a water bottle to the man’s mouth and he took a greedy gulp. He tried clearing his throat and was able to get out a very hoarse grunt of appreciation. 

Vasquez entered the room with the medical kits. She handed off one to Maggie and then sat herself on the floor next to the man so that she could tend to his wounds. 

“What’s your name?” Alex asked as she joined them on the floor, trying to evaluate the extent of his injuries. The damaged looked contained to his face other than the red raw marks around his wrists where the handcuffs had fastened him to the chain on the ceiling. 

“Daniel.”

Alex unbuckled her vest and with the help of Maggie was able to get it off so that Maggie could then bandage her shoulder. “Alright, Daniel, why are you here?”

“I work here. Used to, anyways. Before this...” He pushed himself up into a sitting position for Vasquez. It took a moment of labored breathing to steady himself. 

“What happened to you?” Maggie asked once he seemed settled enough to handle the question. 

Daniel looked around to their faces in confusion with his one open eye. “You...you aren’t here because of him, are you?”

“Lex Luthor? Not exactly,” Alex said as she flipped her fake FBI badge open. With her bandaged shoulder it was not the smoothest move but it did the job of intimidating him. “Why don’t you tell us what happened to you and what all of you are doing here?”

Her move was too much intimidation, though. It made him lock up and he lowered his head in distrust. 

“You can either tell us or you can be taken in with the rest of the people we found in here working for Lex.” Maggie stood with her hands on her hips. For someone of her size she could easily command a room when she used an authoritative tone. 

“No...no way. He’ll kill me. He’s already going to kill me.”

“You help us and you’ll be completely protected. I promise you that.” Maggie knelt back down beside Daniel and Alex, a softness now blossoming in her voice. The good cop, the understanding cop role, coming out just as quickly as her fierce cop act vanished. “Why don’t you start with who you are exactly and why you look like this?”

Her shift in demeanor seemed give him a bit of ease and his injured state was working against him. All he wanted was to lay down and rest, get out of that room and away from this building of horrors. “I’m a scientist specializing in alien virology. I was recruited out of grad school to work for LuthorCorp. When Mr. Luthor went to prison this branch was shut down and I lost my job. I lost everything. My work, my career. No one wanted to hire someone who worked for the Luthors...my family...I lost it all. But then I was contacted and said that I could come back and continue my work that I had been previously doing for Mr. Luthor so I did it hoping that I’d be able to get my life back.”

“You didn’t think it odd that someone who was supposed to be in jail was just suddenly out and ready to go back to work?” Maggie asked. She rose and started pacing in a deliberate circle around the room. 

“I didn’t know he was behind this all at first. It was weeks before we all found out he was out of jail and by then...well by then we all realized we were prisoners. It was help him or die. You can guess what everyone picked to do. Granted some were happier with that arrangement than others. Some really like helping him.”

“So why did Lex do this to you?” Alex asked as she let him take another gulp of water from the bottle with her assistance.

“Because I got cold feet. I overheard some of the higher ups talking about killing some people and that made me really nervous. That’s not what I signed on for. Even when I found out he was back, I just wanted to keep doing my research. I was just supposed to put my head down and do my research and was promised a job at the end of it all. A job with security and grant money and endless research. I didn’t ever want to kill anyone.”

Alex nodded her head as if she understood his position. “Who? Who were they going to kill?”

“Some cop and a couple of federal agents. I never heard their names. Hendricks seemed really pissed about them getting too close to what we were trying to do here. Him and Mr. Luthor had a disagreement about it, we all heard it.”

Alex looked at Maggie and Vasquez. It wasn’t hard to guess who the cop and federal agents were that Hendricks was talking about. “Okay, so you didn’t want to be involved in murder. So what happened next?”

“I was trying to find out more about what Mr. Luthor was planning on doing. I thought maybe I could get out and warn someone. But that’s when I caught her. Well, we caught each other.” He was speaking very fast now, his previous distrust vanishing with every word. “She said that she knew of a way to stop all of this but she needed help getting some supplies–”

“Who is ‘she’?” Alex tried to stop the tirade but Daniel just kept going.

“–and so I started sneaking her the materials she said she needed from my side of the lab. And that’s when they caught me. Massey and Hendricks caught me but luckily it was with some disposal of extra stuff so I don’t think they knew what we were doing or that we were even working together. I just hope she finished it. She had all the stuff but I don’t know if she got it done before they made me bring in that reporter.”

“Reporter?” Maggie’s eyes flashed in anger. She grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look at her. “Who are you talking about?”

“Mr. Luthor said that if I didn’t bring him Kara Danvers that he’d kill my ex-wife and daughter. He said the only way to make up for sneaking around was to help him and he needed that reporter.”

“You...You were the one driving the taxi that night.” Alex tried to match what little of Daniel’s face was not covered in bruises to the image of the taxi driver she had in her memory.

He nodded but his face grimaced like he could not bear to admit it verbally. 

Alex bit her lip, trying to keep her composure. “You staged the taxi explosion and took Kara. Then what happened?”

“I thought he was going to let me go back to work but they tied me up in here and did all of this,” he said motioning to his face. 

Maggie who had restarted her pacing, stopped and evaluated him like a puzzle. “Let’s take a step back. What is this weapon you were helping build? The one that could defeat Lex and stop all of,” she waved her hands to the building around them, “whatever you people were doing in here.”

A hopeful smile took over his bruised face. “It’s not a weapon per se. But she’s going to make Supergirl stronger than ever so that Mr. Luthor can’t use his new weapons against her. And then, once she’s stronger, Supergirl will defeat him and my family will be safe. She promised me they would be safe once Supergirl stopped him.”

“Who is ‘she’?” Alex repeated, every word pointed and slow. 

“Lena.”

************************************************************************************

The main lab facility on the Planet of the Light was much like the labs that had once existed on Krypton, Kara noted as they all slowly moved down each corridor exploring the space. Two members of Conquest Team manned the front of their procession though they were positive no one else was here. Lex was adamant that they continue at a quick pace yet something about being on the alien planet made him uneasy. Back on Earth in the lab, Kara had only seen cockiness from him but here he seemed suspicious of everything. And that made her uneasy as well. 

The code that she had entered to get them into the facility had triggered many of the building’s systems. She was greeted by instructions and notifications by a soft female voice in Kryptonese as they progressed through the building. Lex translated for the rest of the team as Kara gave answers back to the command system. They moved through various labs and the main command center. They also found the mess hall and a recreational area. A decent size library drew the most attention from Lex and Lena both, two geniuses who couldn’t help themselves in the face of new knowledge. Finally they found the living corridor that resembled an apartment building hallway back on Earth. It appeared each member who was destined to this lab, most of Zor-El’s team from Krypton, had been assigned space. Kara was able to override the door codes of the rooms so that they could be accessed by the members of their present team without the Kryptonian codes of the inhabitants that should have dwelled in them.    


The last room on the right hand side had the House of El symbol on its door. Kara entered her code and slowly stepped into the entryway of the unit. Her father had designed it to look almost exactly like their home on Krypton. The only difference was the lack of view. Instead of seeing Krypton’s capital nestled in the hills outside of their dwelling this unit instead looked out to the dark trees that surrounded the facility. Despite this difference, every step she took into the unit made her lip tremble faster as waves of memories crashed through her. She made her way through the family area, into a small kitchenette, and eventually to the hallway with several bedrooms and office space. Here she found the other difference to the unit. Their home only had two bedrooms and her parents had shared an office back on Krypton. But here there were at least five bedrooms and two offices. Clearly this space was not meant for just her. Her parents had intended to be here with her. And as she entered the first bedroom she found the explanation when the system operator asked her if she wanted to override the room assignment as it was designated for Jor-El and Lara. They all were supposed to have been here. 

Lena had fallen behind the rest of the team, lingering too long in the library they had stumbled across. Passing by the open doors of the other units she saw the members of Discovery Team settling into the spaces but didn’t see Kara.

“Kara?” she called out as she peered into more of the rooms. Her voice had a frantic edge with every room she passed and didn’t see Kara. 

One of the Discovery Team’s members pointed her down the hallway as he came out of the unit he had apparently adopted for their time in the facility. She continued down the hallway in the indication direction until she found the familiar ‘S’ on a door that stood ajar. The dwelling seemed empty as she cautiously moved through each room and her panic only increased with each door she pushed open and didn’t find Kara. 

The last room she checked is where she finally found Kara. It was a large, spacious bedroom that had a view to the outside of the facility. Kara was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to the door, staring into a closet full of colorful tunics. Lena was afraid to scare her but Kara did not even move to acknowledge the sound of Lena’s voice.

“Kara?” Lena said again.

“This was supposed to be my parents’ room. My father had obviously planned for all of us to come here, maybe to escape what was happening on Krypton. There is even a room for Kal. We were all supposed to be together...”

Lena was not sure what to say. Kara had a complicated opinion of her parents and usually no matter what Lena ever said about them Kara found a way to argue the opposite. Kara didn’t seem resigned, more stunned and confused by what they had found. 

“We should get back before Lex starts to wonder what we are doing,” Lena finally said after a few moments of silence. 

Kara nodded and solemnly rose. She gave Lena a small smile that was sad, accepting of whatever she was thinking about. 

They found Lex and the rest of the team milling around the command center.

“Everything is in Kryptonese,” Lex informed them upon their arrival. “Do you think that we can convert the system to English?”

“I’m sure it is possible,” Kara said. She was surprised at his surprise of the Kryptonese. What had he expected? She stepped to one of the system stations and pecked away on the screens. “I’ve never been good with these systems. I’m sure there is a way but I may not be able to do it.”

The information that she was able to pull up in the system told them that the building was fully functional but that some basic operations would need to take place in order to sustain their numbers. Kara moved with ease and completed all the tasks, turning on systems for water, waste, and turning the Rao trees onto an automatic cycle to keep their power on. The process was not unsimilar to what she had been required to do when she started at the Science Guild. She had been trained from her first day on how to operate the system on a basic functional level in the case of an attack, a deadly virus, or some other potential event that would leave her in control. As she continued through the steps she started to wonder if her father had her trained her with this knowledge because he knew that one day she’d be the only one left. 

Lex watched her carefully, studying her every move. It didn’t feel like it was out of suspicion rather out of genuine curiosity. He stood over her shoulder and his eyes never left her fingers as they typed command after command into the system. “I think I’m getting the gist of how to move through the system. I’ll play around with it and see if I can convert the system language. In the meantime,” he turned to the rest of the team, “I want to set up all of our equipment in here. I want a security station to link up with Guidance Team back at the transporter. We must maintain visual contact with every team.”

The men snapped right to work at the end of Lex’s instructions. Within hours they had everything set-up just to Lex’s liking. Guidance Team had stayed back at the transporter in order to receive supplies from the lab back on Earth when the time came as well as to keep the transporter safe from any possible threat. The part of Conquest Team that had secured a perimeter around the facility was now prepping to start their exploration of the outlying buildings. When Kara had pulled up the facility's system information they realized that they were in one building of many. There was an entire compound on this planet but most of the structures were apparently subterranean which is why they had not shown on the satellite pictures Lex had collected. The Discovery Team, however, was somewhat handcuffed. Because only three of them, Kara, Lex, and Commander Gemmell, knew Kryptonese, the rest of the team was left sitting and waiting, unable to explore the facility’s systems and archives until they found a solution. Commander Gemmell had left with Conquest Team so Lex and Kara were left helping the others. But it soon became too much. Every team member needed Kara or Lex for basic computing or opening doors or reading output. It was a nightmare. After half an hour of bouncing station to station Lex finally gave up. 

“Let’s call it a night. We’re not getting anywhere at this rate.” He groaned in frustration as he flopped into one of the station’s chairs and rubbed his temples.

The team members slowly trickled out of the lab, heading for the living corridor or the rec area. Lena, who had taken up residence in the corner of the command center watching every move of Kara and Lex, rose and approached Kara’s chair where she was lost in a screen of Kryptonese glyphs. 

“You need a break too,” Lena insisted as she rubbed Kara’s shoulders. One benefit of orbiting a red sun was that she could treat Kara like a human. When her thumb found a knot in Kara’s shoulder she pressed it hard. She smiled at the small exhale of relief that escaped Kara’s mouth when she did so. 

“So that’s why you like massages.” Though Kara enjoyed the feeling she pulled Lena’s hand over her shoulder and placed a kiss on her wrist. “Why don’t you go ahead back to the dwelling. I’m going to finish this and then be there.”

Lena didn’t move. She cast a glance towards Lex who had started tapping away at the security station again. She didn’t want them to be separated. 

“Lena, it’s okay.” Kara kissed her wrist again. “Go back to the room. I promise I’ll be there in a minute.”

Lena nodded but her eyes were still full of distrust. 

“Goodnight, sister,” Lex said without looking up from the screen in front of him.

Lena paused in the doorway as deja vu hit her. How many times had he said that to her over the course of her childhood? Memories of her and Lex in their father’s library filled her thoughts. Memories of them laughing and him protecting her from Lillian. Why did he have to change from who he used to be? “Don’t work all night, Lex,” she said just like she used to when they were younger.  

“No promises,” he shouted after she had stepped out of the room. “Like she doesn’t work around the clock, right Kara?” 

“Yeah, she’s a workaholic,” Kara admitted. She continued to work despite Lena’s instructions to take a break. She had just one more system to check on and then she was sure that the facility would be fully running. With three more clicks, she finished putting the facility on its automated programs. She exited out of the menu she was logged into on the screen and spun her chair to face him. “I can’t really say anything. I spend just as much time away with Supergirl duties as she does with L-Corp.”

“When we get back to Earth,” he said, “you won’t have to split your time anymore between Kara Danvers and Supergirl. You won’t have to hide anymore and you both can work together.” 

She didn’t have a response to this. She only nodded and then stood to leave. This whole situation was toying with her mind. And Lex’s acceptance of her and his promises that they could save the world and her and Lena could be together really made her want to believe him. But he would always be Lex and she had to keep her guard up. Right?

************************************************************************************

The dwelling unit was silent when Kara entered it minutes after she left the lab. Too quiet and that worried her. “Lena?” She swept down the hallway looking into every room. “Lena, are you in...oh...” She stuttered to a stop at the sight in front of her. 

Lena was in the bedroom that had been designated for Kara. She had changed into one of the blue tunics she had found in the dwelling. Kara wasn’t sure who the tunic had been intended for of her family members, perhaps her Aunt Lara. Her and Lena were about the same size now that Kara thought about it, and Lara had been a member of the Science Guild hence the blue color of the tunic. 

“I hope this is okay...me wearing this...I didn’t think it would be very comfortable staying in the suit.” A light blush colored Lena’s cheeks, feeling nervous at the thought that Kara might potentially be upset by the outfit. 

But Kara flashed a smile, one that was shy and conveyed the embarrassment she felt at being brought to a halt at just the mere sight of Lena. “No, it’s fine. I just didn’t expect it,” she laughed out as she shut the bedroom door behind her. There was no need, really. The main door between the dwelling unit and the facility had been shut and locked but Kara felt having a second door between them and Lex was an added bonus to the situation. 

Lena herself let out a sigh of relief as the door shut with thoughts much along the same line as the one in Kara’s head. They were truly alone now. For the first time in months it was just them for more than a few minutes at a time. No one else around, no cameras or hidden mics, no calls or text messages. Behind this locked door they were finally just Lena and just Kara. 

She watched as Kara stretched her lean form to each side before she sat down on the bed where she lazily shifted back on her elbows and evaluated her  fiancée . It amazed Lena how different Kara looked in this moment. Her blonde hair hung down between her shoulder blades, no glasses to hide her bright blue eyes, and no makeup across her sharp features. Without her powers, Kara held herself differently. She was still strong and confident but something about the way she moved without the calculated deliberation like she did on Earth made her seem free. She had radiated intelligence, not holding herself back, as she had walked them through the station that afternoon, and that air about her, not cocky but so sure and assertive, was still in every move she made even now when they were alone. It then hit Lena why Kara seemed different. This was the first time that she was ever seeing Kara Zor-El. Not Kara Danvers, the sweet yet determined reporter, and not the passionate justice of Supergirl. It was the real Kara Zor-El in front of her – the woman she should have become had Krypton not been destroyed. Lena’s chest swelled with love and pride, making room in her heart for yet another variant of the woman she loved and would continue to love across every galaxy, in every version of every universe, always.

“You’re staring.”

“You’re just so beautiful.” The words were barely more than a whisper out of Lena’s mouth, like she was afraid of spoiling this moment. 

This made Kara raise an eyebrow, questioning Lena’s statement though a slight blush tinged her cheeks. She had been, in fact, thinking the same thing about Lena. She chewed over different words that could possibly describe the way her whole body seemed to buzz seeing Lena in Krypton blue, her family’s crest making its home across her Luthor chest. Kara had been raised to practically worship this symbol and the notion that family always came first. At times on Earth it was hard to wear it as she second-guessed everything her parents had done in their lives, to their home planet, and ultimately to her. But Lena, standing so stoic and pure, made her believe in it again. Together they could bring goodness and respect back to that symbol. They could save the world together. 

She reached forward, grabbing at Lena’s hips to bring them closer together. She needed her closer, she needed to put those words she couldn’t quite find a way to say into some sort of physical action so that Lena knew that she was her everything. 

Lena took Kara’s pull one step further and straddled Kara’s lap. She framed Kara’s face with her hands as she looked down at her. “I love you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth, escaping in a stuttered rush. She needed to say it again and again because if she didn’t she felt like everything would come crashing down. “I love you so much.”

Kara hummed as she buried her face into Lena’s chest. She loved how safe she felt when Lena’s arms circled her head, encouraging her to nestle even closer. She pulled Lena’s legs tighter around her waist but realized no matter how much she tried they would never be close enough to satisfy this need in her soul. She wanted to tell Lena that she loved her too. She had said those words a thousand times but this time it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t say ‘I love you’ because whatever this was, this peace spreading throughout her entire being that grounded her in this universe, was more than love. There were no words in any language that she knew, human or alien, that even came close to describing this feeling inside. When she finally brought her face up to Lena’s she let her kiss say what she still could not. It was gentle but filled with longing. It held a promise of a future they both wanted together. But the next one conveyed the desire that had ignited in her when Lena’s tongue ran over her bottom lip and her hands tangled themselves in her hair. 

Her fingers left Lena’s hips, slipping slowly under her tunic. They rediscovered pale skin and tender spots that made Lena moan into their next kiss. She maneuvered them properly onto the bed, loving the smile that spread across Lena’s lips as her back hit the bed. And though every cell in her body begged her to keep going, she forced herself to stop. She had to memorize this image of Lena, her dark hair cascading over the pillows and her eyes lustrous and trusting. This was the first time that she put together all they had been through. She had thought Lena was dead, she had grieved and tried to move on. But here she was safe in her arms. The past year suddenly felt like different lifetimes. First becoming engaged and trying to start a life with one another. Then losing Lena, the desperation and sadness of those months. Now they had found one another again. They were on a different planet with Lex. How had they survived all of this? Could they keep surviving it all?

“My love?” Lena asked, eyes narrowed in worry after the sudden stillness filled the space around them. She started to rise from the pillow but Kara stopped her with a kiss to her forehead. The next kiss was to the tip of her nose that brought a small smile to her face. After a chaste kiss to her lips, Kara nudged Lena’s chin with her own head until Lena took the hint and tilted her head back, giving her access to her neck. 

Kara smiled into her kiss on Lena’s throat when she felt Lena’s gulp ripple beneath the skin under her lips and her ears were met with a whine laced with desire. She could wait no longer. This urge to taste every inch of Lena’s skin was too much to push away now. She buried their recent past and relished in every second of the present. With every frantic kiss on Lena’s body she made silent promises of love and safety. And when Lena arched up into her and her whispered pleas broke the air, she finally let the words leave her lips. They weren’t enough but they would have to do. 

“I love you, Lena.”

************************************************************************************

The blanket slipped down her shoulder as she dropped to her knees on the floor. She pulled the bag out from underneath the bed where she had attempted to hide it earlier. Her hands shook as she unfastened the clips and lifted the flap. Her fingers fumbled past notebooks and pens, random odds and ends she had put into the bag as decoys to make it seem like the contents of an ordinary supply bag. Her heart stuttered when her fingers met the bottom. She quickly pushed the contents around, willing her fingers to find what she needed in order to settle the panic that had been building inside of her ever since they had left the lab on Earth. She had double checked and then triple checked that it was there before they left, but its importance to everything made her need to see it one more time. 

Lena let out a strangled breath of relief when her fingers found it buried in the corner underneath a textbook. But the rustle of the sheets on the bed behind her as Kara rolled over made her leave it where it was. Her mind would have to relax based on feeling it there rather than having visual confirmation. 

She looked over her shoulder at Kara’s sleeping form and smiled. The bare expanse of Kara’s back called to her lips and tongue like a siren, and she was too weak to resist it as her panic receded. They had been apart far too long and she vowed, right then and there, to never be away from Kara that long ever again. She refastened the bag and tucked it beside the nightstand before climbing back onto the bed. As she looked down on Kara’s sleeping form she felt that familiar pang of anxiety, the doubt in her own abilities creeping along with it. She couldn’t be wrong. She would only have one chance and it had to work. It  _ had _ to work.

Her fingers traced Kara’s brow and then made a path that led them into her soft hair. A slight smile pulled at her lips when Kara gave a sleepy sigh, her body moving in search of Lena’s warmth and comfort. Lena closed the distance between them, keeping herself propped up above Kara, and watched her sleep on. As her fingers made another pass through golden locks she whispered, “I’m not going to let him hurt you. I promise I will get us out of this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. It has been 84 years AND I'M SORRY!
> 
> Good news is this is an extra long chapter. Bad news is we are approaching the end *cries*. Looks like there are going to be about 20 chapters total so ~four more after this.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy :)
> 
> Thanks to my write or die, sten06 (@stennnn06) for the beta-ing and comments. I couldn't do this without you! And mssirey (@mssirey) for being my soundboard <3
> 
> Come yell at me @nevertobeships :)


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